Turquoise Blue
by HexSand
Summary: Albus Potter is unable to trust anyone, and Scorpius Malfoy feels like his whole life has already been written for him. But when life makes them cross paths, they'll both learn about trust, friendship, and love.
1. The Famous Potter

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling and I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: This project was made in part to improve my english, since it's not my native language. So if you find any mistakes (misspelling or others) please let me know and I'll thank you forever!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**The Famous Potter**

Albus Potter had never realized just how _famous_ his family was until he arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time.

Sure, he had seen his father being constantly stopped in the middle of the street by complete strangers just to admire his presence. And many people recognized his mother since she had been a famous Quidditch player in her youth. But since Albus didn't read the newspaper or those silly magazines, he didn't know that they all were, in fact, _celebrities_.

He should have known, of course. Seeing as his father had been the savior of the whole Wizarding World more times than he could remember, It was expected that everyone would want a picture of his sons in the cover of a magazine. And by extension, know all about their daily lives.

From the very first moment Albus didn't like it. Not one bit.

The feeling that he was, somehow, public property; that everyone seemed to believe they had the right to know everything about his private life. It overwhelmed him.

James, on the other hand, enjoyed every second of it. Albus's older brother loved being the centre of attention, he enjoyed the starstruck gaze of girls, the special treats, or simply feeling important.

It was, perhaps, because of his individualistic nature, but Albus felt like he was taking credit for something he hadn't done. He didn't want to live in the shadow of his parents. He was ambitious, yes, but he wanted to be praised for his own merits. He was truly very similar to his father: he had a need to prove his worth, and a determination as strong as dragon skin.

And so, while walking across the great hall for the very first time, a great idea came into his mind. He had heard his uncle Ron say countless times that there wasn't a single good soul that came from Slytherin. And he was feeling quite sure that his father wouldn't mind if he was put there -he had said so himself in the platform before leaving-. So an innocent and honest idea popped into his head: He decided he was going to be the very first good Slytherin. The best one. And with that thought in mind, he walked towards the stool underneath the tattered hat. The whole school eagerly expecting another Potter for Gryffindor.

"Slytherin!" the hat roared, followed by the most uncomfortable silence. And then, seconds later, cheers and applauses just from the Slytherin table. The rest of the school was left with their mouths open, especially James, who's mouth was so wide he could have swallowed the entire Gryffindor table. Albus, his whole body still trembling by the whole experience, felt satisfied and walked slowly to sit with the rest of his house.

It was only when Rose was sorted into Ravenclaw that he started to have second thoughts about his decision, simply because he didn't want to be alone. He was glad that he wouldn't have to stand James's teases and pranks, but he had never really been alone. He always had his brother or his cousin, Rose, to keep him company. But soon he realized that there wasn't that much to be scared of, as he quickly made friends with the rest of the slytherin house. They were all just as scared as he was, so the 6 new Slytherin boys shared their experiences during the feast and finally went to bed together and happy.

The first thing Albus did that night though, was owl his parents with the news, and pray that his father wouldn't appear the next morning at the headmaster's office demanding a re-sort.

Surprisingly, the next morning at breakfast his owl came back with a short letter from his father that said:

"_Dear Al: You mother and I are very proud of you, no matter what house you chose to be in (Remember that we talked about it at the platform?), so don't worry about us, just concentrate on your studies and have fun! We'll write to you again soon enough. Love you, Your Dad._

_**P.S**__: Here's a little secret for you: Before I asked to be put in Gryffindor, the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin! Apparently we have a lot in common. Don't tell anyone!_

_**P.S.S**__: As I write this to you, your brother's letter just arrived. Don't expect him to talk to you for a day or two."_

And with that letter the case was closed, and Albus was now officially a proud Slytherin.

He soon learned that being a Slytherin didn't mean at all being bad, or cruel, or a prat, like his uncle had said countless times. There was a beautiful balance of loyalty, support, and hard work. Although they tended to be a much more isolated group than the rest of the houses.

Albus quickly discovered he really liked his house, because they protected each other, and so his first two years at Hogwarts came and went slowly and peacefully.

The real problems began when Albus arrived for his third year at Hogwarts, as he started noticing how girls looked at him with rehearsed smiles and blinking eyes. He discovered that some magazines regularly wrote about his relationship status, encouraging girls to go after the "Emerald-eyed Potter pie", as Witch Weekly Magazine liked to call him.

He soon realized that any piece of information he confided to someone, would end up being some juicy gossip on some teen magazine, let alone say anything about his feelings. And so he slowly stopped trusting more and more people, leaving him with just a handful of people he could call "friends".

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><p>"I can't take it any longer, Lorcan, these magazines are going to drive me insane!" He told one winter day to his friend Lorcan Scamander while creasing the paper of a magazine he was holding in his hands and throwing it away. Lorcan and his twin Lysander were the only Gryffindor friends he had. They had met at a potions class in first year, and remained good friends ever since.<p>

"Calm down Al, they're just silly rumors, don't pay attention to them"

"It's easy to say that about the first 20 articles, but this is starting to get ridiculous! I don't even know what to do anymore..."

"Well...have you ever considered to actually start dating someone?, maybe the magazines will give your relationship some respect and privacy." Lorcan replied absently, while drawing the Whomping Willow wearing boxing gloves in a piece of parchment instead of finishing his transfiguration essay.

Albus stared at the horizon with his mouth open, which slowly twisted into a grin. What with Gryffindors and their brilliant ideas.

"You're a genius Lorcan! that's it! It's so simple! I just have to find a girlfriend, someone quiet, who doesn't require much attention..."

Lorcan made a low groan and shook his head in disapproval.

"You sound so Slytherin, Al...luring a poor girl into your evil plan"

Al rolled his eyes. "No, no, listen. Lorc, listen- I can be a good boyfriend, I suppose. As long as she doesn't...you know, follow me around all day, and then the magazines will have to leave me alone, since I'm already...taken." Al couldn't hide his grin, the plan was brilliant, brilliant indeed.

"Thank you Lorcan! You're a genius!" he said, as he got up and started running towards the castle.

"Where are you going?" Lorcan asked, halfway between amusement and confusion.

"To find Rose, she'll know someone, she always does!" Replied Albus, without stopping.

Shortly after, Albus met Emily Stark, a third year Ravenclaw, who was friend's with Rose. She was about a head shorter than Albus, had brown eyes and long brown hair. She was rather shy, very quiet, and had the tendency to resolve all her problems by owl.

The day Albus asked her out, she almost fainted.

They went together to _Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop_ on one of Hogsmeade trips.

Emily looked just as nervous as Albus felt. He had never done something like that, and the place was filled with other students holding hands and snogging. He wasn't exactly an outgoing kind of person, so it took him a couple of terribly awkward minutes to get into some sort of conversation. But after a short while Albus decided that he actually liked Emily. He didn't really fancy her in a romantic fashion, but then again, he thought that 14 years old was still too young to meet the love of your life. Still, he thought that he liked her enough to feel comfortable with them being a couple. And by the end of the week both got what they wanted: Albus was in an official relationship, and Emily got to snog Albus Potter.

And that's how barely a couple of weeks later, every girl at Hogwarts was diagnosed clinical depression when finding out that Albus Potter was now in a serious relationship with Emily Stark.

"Congratulation, little bro. Finally you're using your big head to get something more than good grades!" James had said, happy for his brother's first true girlfriend. She was, after all, surprisingly beautiful.

Albus never quite understood how his brother could go around snogging girls just because he was a Potter. He didn't understand how it didn't bother him to know that he was using someone else's fame for his own gain. But then again James had always been one of those people who just go with the flow, taking what they are offered, doing what they can get away with.

The days slowly started growing warmer, and the magazines no longer wrote anything about Albus (or rather just a couple of times per month). Time flew, and before anyone had realized, it was time to go back home for another summer holiday.


	2. News And Strategy

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: Once again, if you find any mistakes (misspelling or otherwise) please let me know!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**News and Strategy**

When the time came to board the Hogwarts Express once again for his fourth year, Albus looked very different. He had grown a lot during the summer. His facial features looked more defined, his shoulders were wider, and thanks to his extensive Quidditch practices he now had the appearance of a young athletic man.

After boarding the Hogwarts Express, Albus found an empty compartment by the end of the train and got inside along with two other Slytherin students of the same year, Thomas Bletch and Scorpius Malfoy. Tom was rather short and had wide brown eyes and black hair. Scorpius, on the other hand, was the image of his father, white-blond hair and sharp pointed features. Albus noticed that he had grown a lot during the summer too. His grey eyes looked deeper and his cheekbones sharper. His blond hair was longer and perfectly combed to the side and his voice had grown deeper too. Albus couldn't help noticing also that the boy was quite good looking.

"My father who works at the Ministry has said that they have some very interesting news this year." said Tom, while struggling to tuck his trunk over the end of the compartment.

"Hope it's a new Transfiguration teacher. I'd be lucky if I can make out two words of what Mrs Wasilewski says during her lessons." Said Albus.

He knew Tom well, since their beds were next to each other in the Slytherin room, but Scorpius had always been more quiet and although they all shared a room, Albus sometimes felt like he didn't know him at all.

"No, I think it has something to do with next year's Quidditch World Championship. He didn't want to tell me what it was, so that's all I know." Said Tom, finally letting his body drop on the seat.

"Well...as long as they don't cancel it, everything's fine." Replied Albus, who's favorite topic of conversation during the holidays had become the Quidditch World Cup.

"They won't. It's far too important for the community" Said Scorpius absently, sitting beside the window, across from Albus.

"They'll probably tell us during the feast, so we'll know soon enough. Wake me up when we arrive, will ya?" Said Tom as he huddled into a comfortable position next to Scorpius.

As soon as he closed his eyes Albus felt the tension of being virtually alone with Scorpius. Neither of them was particularly talkative, so after staring at the window for a couple of minutes without saying a word, Albus finally decided to talk.

"So, how was your holiday Scorpius?"

Scorpius shrugged, but a quick smile appeared on his lips.

"It was fine, Father and I went to France. Mother had to stay here though, she had some family business so she couldn't come..." Scorpius hesitated before carrying on. He knew very well that Albus didn't like people meddling in his life, and he didn't tell anything to anyone, not even his closest friends. But it wouldn't be polite not to ask back.

"...How about yours?"

Albus automatically stared at the window again.

"It was fine...played a lot, rested, you know...the usual..." He looked back at Scorpius, who was staring back at him, looking very interested.

"I didn't go anywhere though, my dad's busy all the time, so we don't have much time." He finished. And with that the topic of conversation was over. Albus didn't want to go through the awkward silence situation again, so he stood up and walked over to the compartment door, feeling Scorpius's gaze following him.

"I'll go see if I can find Rose. Haven't seen her since we arrived at the station. I'll be back in a while, ok?"

Scorpius looked at him with his eyebrows raised, and then nodded, turning his eyes back to the window, onto the landscape.

Albus slid the compartment door open and then closed it behind him, and then he walked down the train looking for his cousin.

When Albus came back to the compartment, nearly half an hour later, Scorpius was already fast asleep.

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><p>The horseless carriages stopped in front of the big stairs beneath the great oak doors with a creak. Albus and his two friends jumped down and climbed the steps into the castle. There they met with the other three Slytherins: Andrew Crabbe, Augustus Schelden, and Henric Heavyway, whom Albus disliked the most out of the five. He also saw the Scamander twins, but they were talking to their Gryffindor mates, so he just waved his hand at them and they smiled in recognition.<p>

Once the Great Hall doors opened, the students walked through them in a failed attempt to form a row. The Slytherin table was the first one near the entrance, so Albus and the rest of his house sat first, admiring the black ceiling filled with puffy clouds.

The tables were already decorated with golden goblets and plates, glimmering beneath hundreds of candles floating in midair, awaiting to be filled with food. All it took Albus was a glimpse of the plates to realize how hungry he was, as he thought about the feast that awaited them. He crossed his fingers and hoped that the sorting process would end soon.

From across the hall he could see James smashing two golden goblets together making an incredibly loud clattering noise while yelling "I'm Staarving!".

"Your brother looks hungry..." said Tom, who was sitting right next to Albus, quite amused by James's spectacle.

"Please don't mention it" replied Albus, covering his face with his hands, embarrassed by the whole situation. "He likes the attention."

"I know that. In fact, I think the whole school knows." said Tom, watching how everyone was looking at James. Most girls staring at him with dreamy eyes. "What really intrigues me though, is how come you're the total opposite..."

"I suppose it's a balance thing. You know, keeping the world stable and-"

He was stopped by the sound of the big doors opening once more. Professor Flitwick entered the hall followed by two rows of little first year students. He gave James a reproachful look and with a flick of his wand made the two cups disappear into thin air. When the first year students reached the stool with the old hat on top, everyone was silently staring.

The sorting ceremony went faster than expected, and within minutes they were all enjoying the most magnificent feast.

Once all the last bits of tart and pudding disappeared from the table, the headmistress, Professor Sprout, got up to say a few words to the students.

"As you know, I'm not very good with words, so this will be a brief announcement." She cleared her throat. "I've been asked to give you some exciting news." She looked at the tables one by one with excited eyes. "Well, at least it's good news for the Quidditch players..."

That grabbed Albus's attention completely, paying attention to each of her words.

"As you all know, the 428th Quidditch World Cup will be held next year before the start of term. And the Ministry of Magic, in an attempt to promote sports life among students, has decided to give away...Free First-Class tickets to the winning team of the School's Quidditch Cup!" She clapped her hands avidly at her own announcement, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Cheers broke among students from all different houses, and the whispers grew into a buzz of chatter. Albus's eyes grew wider and his heart started beating faster as excitement flooded him. It was the chance he'd been expecting his whole life. A chance to prove that he was a great Quidditch player, not just Harry Potter's son. Excitement was invading his senses, and his chest was filled with a bubbling feeling of joy. He even allowed himself a little "Yes!" that came out of the depth of his soul, unheard by the rest of the students. Although some of them didn't look quite as happy as Albus felt.

"Oh bugger, I knew I should've tried to make the team last year." said Tom, with his head resting over one of his hands, looking gloom.

"Don't worry, you can try to make it this year. try outs start next week" replied Albus, unable to hide his excitement. He was already a Chaser in the Slytherin Quidditch team. And a very good one at that.

"That's easy for you to say, you're already in the team. I hate having to compete over positions..." then his eyes shined as an idea popped into his head.

"Oh I know!, why don't _you_ drop your position and let me replace you. Everyone knows you don't need the prize. Your father will get you first-class tickets anyway. And if he doesn't, surely your mother can get them too." Tom looked expectantly at Albus, knowing his logic made sense.

Albus had had many discussions about this very subject with his father over the holidays. He dreamed of the day when people would talk to him without his father popping up on every other conversation. He needed to win something entirely because of his own talent. And as the headmistress revealed the Ministry's competition, he immediately realized it was his chance to prove to everyone, and more importantly to himself, that he _was_ special.

"Have you gone mad? I'm not resigning. This is the perfect opportunity to do something for myself. I'll earn those tickets, or I'm not going to the World Cup." he said defiantly.

"Why do you even care so much? you should be happy that your father can get you anything you want."

And just then, he saw his girlfriend, Emily Stark, approaching the table with a wide smile on her face. Just what he needed, another thing that reminded him what life was like having a famous father. His excitement quickly started leaving him, replaced by cold determination. He needed to get out of the Hall and start planning. He wanted to be alone, so he could think properly.

"Hi Al. I missed you during the summer..." said Emily, sitting beside him.

"Yeah..I...I missed you too Emily..."He replied, doing his best to make his fake smile look convincing. "Listen, I'm sorry but I cannot stay here for long, I have some important issues to discuss with Tom."

"What are- AAAH!" Tom howled in pain as Albus's foot stomped into his under the table. "Yeah...yeah, sure Albus, there's some important matters we need to...discuss..."

Albus nodded at him. "Sorry Emily, I'll see you in the morning, yes?" He stood up and grabbed Tom by his robes, yanking him towards the exit.

"Yeah...sure Albus...I'll see you tomorrow." Emily said, disappointment covering her face. She forced a smile and let the two boys go, following them with her brown eyes.

"What the hell is the matter with you! You should be banging your girlfriend senseless this very minute! Have you actually seen her?" said Tom as they stepped out of the Great Hall, making their way towards the dungeons, and into the Slytherin common room.

"It's none of your business, now is it?" replied Albus, avoiding his friend's stare.

"It is if you'll keep crushing my toes under the table, I need those to walk you know?"

Thankfully the door to the common room was already open, so they entered and made their way into their dormitories, where their trunks had already been placed.

"Now, but seriously Albus, what's your problem with her?"

Albus gave him an annoyed glare, taking out his pajamas to get ready for bed. "Drop it, you know I'm not gonna tell you anything, why do you insist?"

"But why not? Just spit it out, you can tell me!" said Tom, leaning on one of Albus's bed columns.

Albus was growing more annoyed by the minute. He sat on his bed and started putting on his bed clothes. "Listen, If I tell you something, I bet you my broomstick that every single magazine in Britain will have the story by tomorrow."

Tom made a hurt expression, his face twisting into a scowl.

"I wouldn't do that, you know it!"

"I'd rather not risk it though. It's nothing personal, Tom."

"But it is, Al. If you can't tell _me_, then who? You can't keep everything to yourself, that's way too Slytherin, even for my standards."

"Listen, I don't like to talk about my stuff, period. Just drop it, alright? I'm moved by your concern, I really am, but let me handle my issues and you handle yours."

And with that Albus slipped into his bed. "Good night."

Tom raised his hands in exasperation, completely infuriated by Albus's childish behavior.

"Fine..." he said, turning around and walking towards the bedroom door "just...whatever."

He closed the door with a bang, leaving Albus alone.

He wanted to concentrate on his plans. He was going to win those tickets, and he wasn't going to accept anything that came from his father. If his team lost, then he wouldn't go to the World Championship, and that's it.

Slowly his thoughts started gravitating towards the conversation he had with Thomas. He didn't really need anyone to talk to. He was fine just like that, he thought. Surely he'd _talk_ to somebody, if he knew someone he could really trust. But he didn't.

And just as that thought crossed his mind, he heard the door opening and Scorpius's voice through the darkness of the room.

"Hey Albus, you okay?"

Albus closed his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep.

"'m fine Scorpius" he muttered against his pillow.

"Alright..." Came Scorpius's voice with uncertainty, "...Good night then." He finished as he undressed in the darkness of the room. he slipped into his bed and closed the curtains. Albus didn't reply.

Neither of them said another word, until Albus finally fell asleep


	3. The Malfoy Heir

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: Once again, if you find any mistakes (misspelling or otherwise) please let me know!_

_Note 2: This chapter is an introduction to Scorpius. Bit gloomy TBH._

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**The Malfoy Heir**

When Scorpius opened his eyes the next morning, it was still dark. He stayed still looking at the tester above him, trying to figure out what had awoken him. Just a couple of seconds later he heard someone opening the cabinets in the room, whispering to himself. Scorpius slid the curtains of his four-poster open and through the darkness of predawn he could distinguish Albus Potter in his Quidditch robes, scanning all the corners of the room and stumbling with random objects on the floor, looking for his broomstick.

"The hell are you doing?" mumbled Thomas Bletch from across the room, his voice hoarse and muffled by the pillow, still half asleep.

"Sorry, I'm looking for my Broomstick. I'm going out to practice a bit before class." Albus whispered, still walking through the room, waking up everybody in the process.

"Okay, that's it, Potter's finally gone mental..." said Thomas, turning over to the side to get a more comfortable position, burying his head under his pillow.

"I saw it on the common room, next to the chess table" said Scorpius, still sleepy but regaining consciousness quickly.

"Saw what?"

"Your broomstick, Potter..." replied Scorpius, a bit louder than he intended.

"Could you both shut up, I'm trying to sleep here..." came Henric's voice through his closed curtains.

"Sorry...umm, thanks Malfoy" said Albus quietly as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Scorpius tried to go back to sleep, but it seemed to be an impossible task.

He finally gave up and decided to just begin his day. It was probably about five in the morning, judging by the light, so he had roughly three hours before having to go to class.

He stood up and stretched in the darkness of the room. Everyone else had already fallen asleep again, so we walked silently towards the Slytherin boys bathrooms, carefully evading the mess that Albus had made of the room.

As he stepped into the shower and under the stream of hot water, he felt his body slowly starting to fully wake up. He didn't like having to shower in school because there was always someone waiting to use the bathroom. But now it was so early in the morning that nobody would bother him for at least an hour, so he decided to take his time. He slowly started washing his body, feeling the hot water pour over him.

His body had changed quite a bit during the summer: He was taller, and his face resembled more that of his father. However the biggest change, he thought, had been mentally, because now every inch of motivation, determination, and joy, seemed to have drained from life.

It happened around Christmas, when his father introduced him to a girl called Lyra Gamp. He'd always known that he'd have to marry someone with the same social status as his family. It was part of being the Malfoy Heir, but it wasn't until he met her that his powerless situation truly hit him, because he was, in fact, powerless.

He slowly started loosing interest in his future, knowing that there was nothing to expect. He was probably going to end up marrying Lyra, even if he didn't like her at all; he would live in the Malfoy Manor, just like his father; and he would have to produce an heir, whether he liked it or not. There wasn't really a point to anything after all, he thought.

The previous years he had been a proud Slytherin. But now he started wondering if it was because he actually felt it, or if it was just expected of him. This thoughts started clouding his mind, making him recoil into himself.

Did it make any difference if they didn't win the house cup this year? or would it really make any difference if he failed all his classes (other than pissing off his father)?

His fate was inevitable, and the realization that there was nowhere to escape felt like a weight over his shoulders that got heavier every day. Like a deep sigh trapped inside his chest, unable to come out. It felt...a bit like drowning, he thought as the stream of hot water caressed his face, splattering on the walls.

He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, using another to dry the rest of his body and his hair. He put on his trouser and walked out of the bathroom, the rest of his body still a bit damp. It was 5:58 am, almost 6.

"Bloody Potter..." he muttered under his breath. The git had awoken him at an ungodly time, and he still had about two more hours before having anything to do.

"Bloody Potter and his Quidditch obsession." He continued while walking towards the common room, deciding to pick up a book and read a bit before classes.

He didn't really understand Albus and his need to win the Quidditch cup. It seemed rather pointless to him, like everything else in his life lately.

He'd never connected with Albus on a personal level, partly because his father had never been an open supporter of the Potter family. In fact he was rather reluctant to speak about anything related to Harry Potter. But Scorpius had also no idea how to engage Potter in a conversation. The boy was extremely secretive and reserved; he constantly built walls around him, excluding everyone from his private life. And to top it all Scorpius wasn't particularly talkative. Every time that Albus and him were together in a room, there was only one possible outcome: less talk than a pair of frozen cocoons.

The truth remained, still, that Scorpius felt inexplicably drawn towards Albus all the time. There was something intense and mysterious about the boy that Scorpius couldn't ignore. It certainly wasn't because of his fame or his family. It was much deeper and sincere, and every time Albus directed a word at him, his face lightened at the prospect that maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for them to become friends.

Pure fantasy, obviously. Scorpius had given up on the possibility of such a thing ever happening. He now felt constantly furious at himself for having such stupid feelings. There was absolutely nothing special about the git. He was just another boy without any particular talent, who's perfect life had made him believe that winning Quidditch cups was actually something important.

His thoughts wandered randomly as he flicked through the pages of a Potions book until he realized he still hadn't put on his shirt. Just then he heard the door to the common room open, and Albus entered with his face flustered and sweaty. He stood in the doorway looking at Scorpius.

"What are you doing?" he asked, holding his broom in one hand while the other combed his hair ineffectively.

"I'm just...reading...a book." replied Scorpius, taken aback by Albus's sudden presence.

"Without a shirt?" asked Albus, looking confused

"Oh...I've just come out of the shower, that's why." replied Scorpius, suddenly incredibly self conscious about his naked chest.

"Oh" was Albus's reply, in nothing more than a whisper. He started walking towards the Slytherin bathroom to take a shower before going up for breakfast. Scorpius followed him with his gaze, forgetting the book in his hands.

"Hey, Scorpi-" he didn't finish the words, as he turned around and noticed that Scorpius was already staring at him. He had stopped before reaching the stairs that led to the boys Bathrooms.

"Ummm...just...be careful when you walk out of the doorway. Peeves has been dropping water balloons and the floor is a bit wet and slippery." his green eyes looked particularly bright. His gaze locked with Scorpius's.

"...'k..." replied Scorpius. He quickly looked away, and then remembered he had a book in his hands, so he looked at it instead.

He heard the distant sound of Albus climbing the stairs, until he was alone again in the room.

"'_k?" ...he was trying to help you, and all you have to say is '"k"?_

He mentally kicked himself, thinking about how rude and uninterested he had just sounded. His father wouldn't be proud. _A Malfoy is always polite, because you never know if the other person may become useful in the future._

He sighed and took a chocolate frog out of his pocket. Apparently the pleasure of chocolate still hadn't left him. And neither did collecting Chocolate Frog Cards.  
>By fourth year everyone had already stopped collecting them. It was probably all about appearance, he thought, as it didn't look mature to still collect silly cards on fourth year. Yet Scorpius didn't want to stop collecting them. It somehow seemed a window to his childhood, leaving him faster each day. He didn't want to let go.<br>He obviously never told anyone he still collected them, and by now he only needed _Gifford Ollerton _to complete his collection. After eating the frog, he looked inside and found _Mopsus,_ again. He threw away the empty box and put the card inside his pocket, more relaxed about the Potter situation now that he had eaten some chocolate.

Apparently the only person who still had the ability to endow Scorpius with some sort of emotion was Albus Potter.

Maybe he still cared about what Albus thought of him.

It was odd.


	4. The Worst Birthday

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: Please let me know if you find grammar errors or otherwise! Also, from this chapter on I've stated taking some canon liberties. I hope you don¡'t mind :)_

_Note2: See what I did there with the chapter name? CoS Anyone?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**The Worst Birthday**

As November approached Albus became steadily more and more nervous. The first Quidditch match was to be Slytherin versus Gryffindor, and it was scheduled exactly the same day as Albus's birthday, the first saturday of November.

The day before the Quidditch match Albus was already a wreck. He'd put so much pressure upon himself that he ended up having more than couple of panic attacks throughout the day.

Later that day he decided to go to the Great Hall to have some dinner before going to sleep. He wanted to have an early night so he could do well on tomorrows match, although he didn't feel particularly hungry. He sat beside Tom at the Slytherin table.

"You look rather pale, Albus."

"I've never been this nervous about a match before." Albus replied, picking up a toast and putting it in his mouth without really wanting to.

"You'll do well, you're the best chaser in Hogwarts, everybody knows that. And the keeper for Gryffindor is James, so that's an advantage. Don't worry!" said Tom patting him on the shoulder.

Just then he saw James approaching the table, walking between the Scamander twins. The three Gryffindors sat on the Slytherin table across from Albus and Tom.

"HAPPY BIRTHDA-" started singing James loudly, with a grin on his face and waving his hands as if he were conducting an orchestra.

"Shut up! It's not my birthday yet!" hissed Albus through gritted teeth. Some faces had turn around to watch him.

"Oh sorry, I'm just so excited for tomorrow I can barely wait little bro." said James. He looked extremely relaxed and good-tempered. "So much to expect. Your birthday, the Quidditch match...by the way, don't worry about the match, eh Al? I've already Owled our dad and he said he's gonna buy us the tickets anyway, so no pressure."

Albus's face twisted into a scowl.

"I don't want dad's tickets. I'm gonna win the match, and the Quidditch cup!" he said, dropping the toast. The words came out sharper than he intended.

"Wow, Al, don't flip out on me. I ain't done anything, I was just saying that-"

"No, I don't want the tickets if I can't earn them for myself, so forget it James."

James looked confused. He couldn't understand why Albus was so keen on winning the match. It didn't make sense to him.

"Why do you even care so much?" he asked, making a concentrated face, trying to understand Albus.

"Why is everyone asking me the same question? I just happen to have objectives in life and-"

"Boooring..." cut out James. "Listen, I'm not gonna let you win just because otherwise you won't go to the World Cup. So good luck tomorrow, but don't expect too much." He grabbed Albus's cheek just to tease him, but Albus quickly yanked his face away.

"Wait till you see my birthday present tomorrow, Al. You'll love it!" said james, still in good spirits, and with that he turned away and walked out of the Great Hall.

Lorcan and Lysander stayed on the table, keeping Albus company.

"You'll cheer for me, won't you?" Albus asked hopeful.

"Are you mental? We're Gryffindors, we can't publicly support a Slytherin!" replied Lorcan, making it sound incredibly matter-of-fact.

"Wow, thanks mate" said Albus sarcastically. He wasn't hungry at all, so he decided to just go to bed and be done with it. He said goodbye to the twins and Tom, and hurried to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

><p>The next morning dawned incredibly cold. But at least there wasn't a sign of rain. Albus woke up from an unsettling dream and stayed with his eyes open looking at the tester for a while. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the huge pile of presents stacked at the foot of his bed. He always was the first to wake up in the morning, so he had time to go through his presents before going for breakfast. He tried not to think about the Quidditch match that was coming while he opened up the packages one by one. He received a lot of candy; books from Rose and other relatives; A complete broomstick care kit from his parents, and a parcel that contained an unhealthy amount of chocolate along with a letter that shamelessly read:<p>

_Happy Birthday Albus Severus Potter!  
><em>_Yours Truly,  
><em>_The Daily Prophet  
><em>_**P.S:** Please tell your father we remembered your birthday._

Albus rolled his eyes. Obviously the Daily Prophet was trying to get to his father's good will by stuffing his son with chocolate.

There was only one parcel left, and Albus knew it was from James.

_"So no presents from Emily", _he thought absently, preparing to open James's present.

"Oh dear, here we go..." he whispered as he grabbed the package and put it over his crossed legs, but the moment he touched the parcel, it exploded in a gigantic cloud of dark green smoke, making a deafening sound while the smoke expanded to every corner of the room. The five other boys in the room woke up with a start, bolting upwards.

"What the Fuck?" said Tom, trying to understand what had happened. Nobody could see anything, because the smoke was far too dense. From somewhere in the room Tom could make out Albus's silhouette moving his arms frantically to dissipate the fog.

"FUCKING JAMES!" shouted Albus, coughing while he passed his hand over every hard surface trying to find his wand.

"Oh...that makes sense..." said Tom, realizing that it had probably been James's present.

Everyone knew that James loved playing pranks on everybody.

Albus finally found his wand lying on the bedside table.

"_Finite Incantatem_" he said, making a sweeping motion with his wand, and an instant later the fog in the room dissipated completely.

The six boys in the room looked at each other with faces of extreme disconcert, each one sitting in their respective beds, until Tom started laughing. It began as a contained laugh, but started building up and grew stronger as Andrew and Henric joined him, their perplex faces twisting into a smile, and then opening their mouths to laugh. Albus's anger started becoming amusement, and finally he gave up and started laughing too. Scorpius was the last one to start laughing, and as he joined, the laughs of the rest grew stronger.

It was a good way of starting the morning, and in a bizarre kind of way, Albus thanked James the relief and good moments his present had given him before the match.

After the birthday greetings, putting on his Quidditch robes, and having a quick breakfast, Albus was now in the middle of the pitch with all the other players from Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Madame Hootch. The day was cold and windy, and the stadium was full of cheering students, staff, and some hogsmeade people who came to see the first match of the season. Albus's heart was beating quickly, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He concentrated, focusing on his goal, and lifted into the air with a kick as soon as he heard the whistle. The match had begun.

"And the first match of the season begins!-" came Lorcan Scamander's voice, who was commentating.

"–And Gryffindor is in possession, Chaser Lee speeding, he's getting too near Slytherin's chaser Hemis, but delivers a perfect reverse pass to Dinna Bones. And she goes, she goes, dodges the Bludger, she goes, c'mon Dinna, and– Gryffindor Scores!"

Albus could hear the cheering of the crowd in the background, avoiding Bludgers while trying to gain possession of the Quaffle.

10 minutes in and Slytherin was winning 40 to 20, with Albus flying towards the goalposts.

"–Young Potter speeds up, wow, that's what I call acceleration, he's making a spectacle here–"

Albus didn't hear a word Lorcan said, trying to gain as much speed as possible. he dodged Dinna Bones and went straight for the goalpost, leaning forward to gain more speed. He felt the wind hurting his face and absently registered a Bludger heading towards him from behind. He was far enough to be able to throw and then dodge it, but saw his brother with his eyes wide open making stop signs with his hands. He couldn't hear what he was saying because he still was too far and approaching quickly. James left his keeper position and started speeding towards Albus, apparently to meet him halfway, still trying to make Albus stop. But Albus wasn't stopping, he was going far too fast to stop now, he ignored his brother approaching and lifted his arm with the Quaffle, aiming at one of the hoops...

"Albus, no!" He heard James's voice piercing the air. An instant later he felt something strong hit him on the side and felt his ribs breaking. The speed made him fly in the air like a ragged doll, and the last thing he felt was his head collide against one of Gryffindor hoops. Everything went black, and he felt his body falling from up high as he lost conscience.

* * *

><p>When Albus regained conscience he was surrounded by darkness, and he could hear distant voices approaching. He slowly started regaining awareness of his surroundings, as well as the ungodly pain on his whole body, specially his head and below his right arm.<p>

"Shut up, will you? I'm trying to think!"

"But what if he doesn't?"

"Shut Up!"

He realized he had his eyes closed, and slowly tried to open them. The darkness became a blur of faces staring down at him, finally defining themselves into familiar people.

James was the closest to him, almost on top, looking worried. the moment Albus opened his eyes, James's expression changed completely into relief, the change so exaggerated that he almost looked like another person.

"Oh Thank–" he stopped himself abruptly. "–Don't you EVER do that to me again Al, you hear me? I've almost gone mental waiting for you to wake up. What would I say to mom and dad? Because they'll know about this, I'll tell them you wouldn't listen to me, I told you to stop! What were you–"

Albus could barely understand what James was talking about, so he was grateful when Lorcan interrupted him.

"Will you shut up already? He doesn't want to hear it. He almost died back there, let the poor man rest, you'll make his brain go all fuzzy!"

"How long have I been unconscious?" asked Albus after realizing he was in the Hospital wing, trying to remember everything that had happened.

"About six hours, maybe a bit more." replied Lorcan, biting the side of his lower lip.

"You took your bloody time, didn't you?. I bet you did it just to see me go psycho waiting to see if you were still alive." James said, with a mixture of relief and anger in his face.

"Don't be daft, James, we're lucky he came back so soon. You were bleeding like mad, Al, we really thought we'd lost you for good this time."

The memories of the match returned to him in a blur, but he could recall the Bludger behind him, his brother screaming, and banging his head against the Gryffindor goalpost.

"What happened with the match?" he asked suddenly, trying to sit, but failing miserably. His whole body ached too much.

"We won" replied Lorcan.

"We won?"

"Not you, idiot. We, Gryffindor, won." said James, still in a foul mood.

"What? How?" Albus felt the pain in his body intensify tenfold.

"I don't know, do I? I had to bring you here to the Hospital, make sure you weren't dying or something. What the hell were you thinking? Did you even see the Bludger flying towards you!"

"I just...wanted to score" replied Albus absently, the news of the match results sinking in painfully. He didn't know why he hadn't stopped. He was so caught up in the moment, that perhaps the excitement took the best of his judgement.

"You just _wanted do Score_! What the hell is the matter with you Al–"

James words were drowned at the sight of Madame Pomfrey, who reappeared looking happy as she saw Albus awake.

"Oh that's a relief. Thank Merlin you woke up. Everyone please leave, the boy needs medication and I need to do some examinations."

"Yeah, I better be going, before I kill him myself." said James, turning around while grabbing his hair, wanting to pull it off. "I'll owl dad tonight, and I'll tell him about this." and with that he started walking out of the room with Lorcan behind him.

"He's been here the whole time waiting for you to wake up. He was loosing his mind a moment ago." said Madame Pomfrey, pouring _Skele-Gro_ into a vase. "He's a torture to be around with, your brother, but his heart's in the right place. Alright, bottoms up."

Albus drank the liquid, feeling as it burned his throat. He was used to drinking _Skele-Gro_, product of several injuries playing Quidditch.

The day was starting to get darker, so after a quick meal delivered to him, he got himself as comfortable as he could, and closed his eyes. He still felt sick from knowing that they had lost, and felt the chances of winning the house cup quickly slipping away.

He sighed heavily, and tried to sleep away this terrible, terrible day.

He barely slept at all, caught in nightmares over and over again, his body aching at every move, desperately wishing for the sun to rise outside the window. He knew his body would hurt all over during the night, because the potion was mending the bones, but somehow everything felt the same. The injured areas seemed unaffected, and as dawn approached, he started getting more and more convinced that the potion wasn't working.

When Pomfrey reappeared the following morning and noticed that there hadn't been any changes, she waved her wand all over Albus, pointing at different regions of his body while muttering complicated spells. Finally, she put her want back in her pocket and and sighed heavily.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you, Potter." she said, looking directly into Albus's eyes.


	5. The Mandrose Treatment

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: Please let me know if you find grammar errors or otherwise! Also, __Thanks to every single beautiful person who has reviewed my story so far. I never thought I'd get so excited with each new review :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**The Mandrose Treatment**

Scorpius was walking out of the Great Hall, heading towards the inner gardens. He didn't like sundays, they seemed like a waste of time because they weren't learning anything anyway, so it really didn't have a point staying at Hogwarts during weekends.

While walking through the corridors, a couple of boys approached him, trying to collect signatures to initiate a new club.

"Would you like to sign to allow the creation of a new dueling club?" they asked, showing a big piece of parchment with just a couple of signatures in it, along with a quill.

"Why don't you get lost, Hufflepuff weirdos?" drawled Scorpius, walking around them. He didn't have time to sign stupid requests or applications, or whatever the hell that was.

"Now, now, Mr. Malfoy, don't be rude." came professor Longbottom's voice from the end of the corridor. He approached Scorpius quickly, shaking his head in disapproval.

_Bloody brilliant_, thought Scorpius. The Gryffindor professor had to be. He turned around, looking irritated at the sight of Professor Longbottom.

"I'll take 5 points from Slytherin for being disrespectful to other students."

"Fine, whatever" replied Scorpius. he didn't really care what they did with his points.

"Wait. How's Albus? Have you seen him about?" asked Professor Longbottom before Scorpius could escape.

"He's...I don't know professor, he didn't come to the common room last night, so he's probably still in the Hospital Wing." said Scorpius, not really knowing about Albus at all.

"Well, why don't you go give him this book for me. If he's still in the Hospital, he'll probably be bored. I know he'll like this book." replied the professor, pulling a book out of his robes that said "_Marvelous herbs from Arid Lands". _Scorpius raised one of his eyebrows, trying not to laugh. Who could find that kind of book entertaining at all? But he received it nonetheless.

"Give him my regards, will you?" said Professor Longbottom in good spirits, and with that he turned around and walked away through the corridor.

Scorpius wondered if he should go visit Albus now. He knew Albus didn't like visits, so he had refrained from visiting him, but supposed he should, now that there was an excuse.

Scorpius sighed heavily, and making up his mind, headed to the Hospital Wing hastily.

* * *

><p>When Scorpius crossed the Hospital door, he noticed there were only two used beds, and one of them had another person standing next to it. The girl standing next to the bed had bushy, long red hair, and Scorpius recognized her immediately as Rose Weasley, Albus's cousin.<p>

He walked slowly towards the bed.

"Potter? Professor Longbottom asked me to give you this, he thought it might cheer you up" he said, trying to make himself sound as serious as possible.

Albus turned his head, and looked at Scorpius and then the book, making a scowl.

"Why would that ever cheer me up?"

"Dunno. But Apparently even the Professors are big fans, since now even they send you presents. Anyway, I would assume that you'd be fine by now, what happened?" said Scorpius, walking closer and leaving the book over the bedside table, along with many "_Get Well_" cards from other students.

"It's none of your business..." said Albus immediately, almost like a reflex.

"Alright, whatever" said Scorpius, as he turned around and started walking towards the door.

"Malfoy, wait...I'm sorry, I...I didn't mean to be rude." Albus said quickly. "Thanks for the book, I'll...I'll tell you."

Scorpius turned around and snorted.

"I ain't mad, mate. You don't wanna tell me, it's fine. Honestly, Potter, It's a wonder you didn't end up in Gryffindor with that chivalrous spirit of yours." he said as he walked towards the bed again. He stayed silent for a bit, waiting for Albus to say something.

"Apparently I've got some kind of...E.D.D or something like that–" he muttered, looking down, while scratching the bed covers with his finger.

"It's _E.D.E_, Al." said Rose, looking expectantly at Scorpius.

"_E.D.E_? you mean _Ether Disconnection Episode_? that's really serious Potter..." said Scorpius, sounding genuinely worried.

"Well...I don't know, Rosie was just gonna tell me what it means, because Madame Pomfrey said I had it, but had to check some stuff before telling me how severe it was." replied Albus, looking back at Rose, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, As I was saying, you know that magic comes from the magical core of humans, that we call _Ether_. But to activate it, your brain must send signals to your body, telling it to activate the magic within. An Ether Disconnection Episode happens normally when you hit your head, and your brain gets all...fuzzy, so it fails to deliver certain messages to your body, and therefore you can virtually use no magic. At least until the episode ends. That's probably why the _Skele-Gro_ Potion didn't work. Because the potion needs your magic to work properly." finished Rose. She looked worried, and pursed her lips while looking at the side of the bed, probably thinking about something.

"So...I'm basically a squib now?" asked Albus, with a look of horror in his face.

"No, of course not. It's very unlikely that the episode lasts more than a couple of months. Your body usually heals itself after one or two months. But during that time your magic will be rubbish, if you can even do magic at all." replied Rose, crossing her arms. "We still need to wait for Madame Pomfrey though, she'll tell us how severe it is, and we'll see what to do from there."

Albus buried his head in his hands, muttering something that sounded like "_I'm screwed_".

The three of them stayed silent for two whole minutes, until Madame Pomfrey reappeared with a piece of parchment in her hand.

"Alright, Albus. Apparently the Episode is not very severe, so you should be healed by Christmas. But you must rest, and not force your magic." she said, staring at the piece of paper.

"And can't you give me something to make it faster? The pain is killing me." said Albus, pointing at his left ribs with his finger.

"Oh, dear, no. It's very dangerous to use potions to cure E.D.E. You could increase the blood flow too much, resulting in a permanent damage of the brain. You'll be perfectly fine in about a month. And meanwhile we can give you something for the pain that will work great." she said, and turned around, disappearing inside her office again.

Rose looked relieved, knowing that Albus would be fine in a month, but then she looked at Albus, who had an expression of absolute horror in his face.

"Al, what's wrong?, you should be happy, you're probably not having homework 'till Christmas."

"Lance" muttered Albus, in nothing more than a whisper.

"Lance? Who is–"

"Lance, Lance Feder, Rose, Slytherin's Quidditch team captain!" exploded Albus, with his hands open and looking at her in exasperation.

"What about him?" asked Rose.

"He came here earlier. Told me that if I'm not back at the training sessions by the end of november, he'll have to find another Chaser..." he said, sounding as if he was about to cry. "I've gotta do something, or else I'll be out of the team by December." he finished, laying back down on his bed, looking directly at the ceiling.

Rose didn't say anything, her eyes shining with sympathy.

"You could...you know, if you're _that_ desperate, you could try the Mandrose Treatment." suggested Scorpius, shrugging lightly.

Albus bolted upright with a look of excitement and intrigue in his face.

"Are you _mental_? How can you even suggest such a thing!, do you want him dead?" Rose said immediately, looking defiantly at Scorpius.

"I'm just saying that if he's so eager to heal before December..." offered Scorpius, sounding totally unconcerned.

"Will anyone please tell me what you're talking about?" exclaimed Albus, looking expectantly from Rose to Scorpius and back.

"The Mandrose Treatment is an experimental treatment for E.D.E, and it supposedly increases the healing process a lot." said Scorpius, still looking at Rose.

"Yes, but it's not approved by the International Wizard Healing Association. It can be very dangerous and unpredictable." replied Rose, looking directly at Scorpius.

"I don't care Rose, if it will heal me, then I want to try it." said Albus, hope blooming inside him.

"Albus, no way. If your father finds out he will go _ballistic_, and they'll probably blame me too." replied Rose, now starting to get very pink, like she always did when having an argument.

"He doesn't have to know, the treatment is not very popular, and Pomfrey probably won't tell his parents about the E.D.E, she never does." said Scorpius, not really knowing why he cared so much.

"And what if James tells them? Your dad may not find it suspicious, but you know he will tell my mom..." Rose was starting to get angry, and got redder by the minute.

"Well, just tell her that he recovered naturally..." Scorpius suggested.

Rose and Albus both looked at him in silence with an amused look.

"Aunt Hermione?" Albus let out a hollow snort. "Like that was even possible. there's no chance in hell that she'll fall for it. not for a bloody second."

"Exactly, she _will_ find out, and if she tells your dad, you know that he'll flip out on you. And even if James doesn't tell them, you still need someone very talented at Potions who can do the brewing, and no teacher will be willing to help you."

"Well, I'll...I'll talk to James about it, and about the Potions...you can brew them, Rose." said Albus, giving her his best smile, trying to make her agree. But she looked completely infuriated.

"Oh you must be going well nutters!. Just forget it, I think it's the worst idea you've ever had, Al, and you've had some very bad ideas, and I haven't go the time for that. Besides, the effects happen during nighttime and as far as I know, I'm neither a boy nor a bloody Slytherin to be sneaking into your dormitory, shoveling potions down your throat every night, so it ain't happening sweetheart!" she exploded, with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of exasperation. Albus thought about his possibilities for a second, and then he smiled.

"Oh! He...he...He can do it!" he said, pointing at Scorpius, and then turning around to talk to him. "Scorpius! You're my roommate! And you're a genius at potions!, I've seen you, you've got the best grades since first year."

"You're not going to give up, are you?" said Rose, shaking her head, finally accepting Albus's stubbornness.

Albus shook his head with a smile on his face. Rose gave up and looked at Scorpius, waiting for his answer.

"Umm...me? uhh...well I, I've never done it before but..." Scorpius stayed silent for a moment, thinking about it. "What will I get in exchange?" he asked, loyal to his Malfoy upbringing.

Albus's smile slowly faded, and he looked worried. "I...I don't know, whatever you want. Just say yes, please! I'll give you whatever you want." he pleaded.

Scorpius thought about it for a minute, but he knew, deep in his heart, that he was extremely excited about the idea.

"Fine, I'll do it." he said finally.

"Yes!" exclaimed Albus, punching the air, but then gasping at the sting of pain in his ribs. "Oh thank you Malfoy, I'm so excited I could _kiss_ you right now!" he finished, rubbing below his left arm, but still with a smile on his face.

Scorpius's heart skipped a beat and he fell his body go stiff.

"Yeah well, don't get too excited" he managed to say. "Just...find a way to get out of the hospital by today, and I'll go now to check the library to see if I can find something useful." And with that he turned away and walked towards the exit. Noticing a mixture of excitement and worry in Rose's expression.

"I still think it's a terrible idea, Al." he heard her say before closing the door behind him.

When Albus finally left the hospital wing that afternoon, the first person he encountered was James. He was going to the hospital to find out about Albus's progress. James didn't know about the E.D.E, because he hadn't been there all day, so Albus decided that the best thing to do was to pretend that the Skele-Gro Potion had worked perfectly fine, and that he was now completely healthy again.

"Nice to see you out of the Hospital, little bro." he said, approaching Albus with a smile.

"Yeah, everything went fine, you know...stayed a bit longer to make sure everything was fine, but I'm going to the common room now." Albus replied, not looking at him in the eye because he knew he was a terrible liar.

James raised his thumbs in a positive gesture, and then punched the side of Albus's stomach, right in the wounded ribs in a playful manner.

"Hope these don't break again during the next match, eh, Al?" he said, in good spirits.

Albus felt the swollen area burn his body like never before. His eyes filled with tears and his smile grew wider than ever, clenching his teeth to stifle a yelp.

"Mhhmm..." was all he managed to say, trying not to howl in pain. His pained grin was wide and his teeth clenched to the limit.

"Alright, good to see you back" James said, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately, and walking back to the corridor where he came from.

Albus stayed paralyzed for a couple of seconds, trying to recover his breath. He finally sighed heavily and started limping slowly back to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

><p>The first problem they encountered when arriving at the Common Room was the fact that Albus's bed was the farthest away from Scorpius's, and since Scorpius was the one offering to help, they decided that it was only fair that he'd stay in his own bed and Albus moved to Henric's bed. The tricky part was asking him to change beds without telling him why, because they had agreed to keep this Treatment as confidential as possible.<p>

"Hey, Henric, we need to ask you a favour" said Albus, sitting on Henric's bed while he studied a book with a frown.

"What is it" he asked absently, still looking at the book.

"We need...this" said Albus, patting the bed he was sitting on with both hands. looking expectantly.

"You want to...sleep with me?" asked Henric, raising an eyebrow.

"Your bed, idiot. I want to switch beds with you, just for a couple of days, two weeks top." said Albus, a pleading tone to his voice. Henric looked at him sideways.

"Why?"

"That's none of your business mate, yes or no?"

"Well, what will you give me in exchange?" he asked, always the Slytherin politic.

"What do you want?" replied Albus.

Henric thought about it for a minute, and then said,

"A date."

"Merlin, Henric, I wouldn't go that far, It's only a bed, you know" said Albus, mildly amused.

"Not with you, wanker. Your cousin, Rose Weasley. I want a date with her." replied Henric, still looking serious.

"Why don't you just ask her?" asked Albus, shrugging.

"Do you want the bed or not?" drawled Henric, the book he was reading closed in his lap. he extended his arm.

Albus took it and they shook hands.

"Deal. I'll have this bed for two weeks and I'll set you up with Rose." he said, inwardly thinking about the amount of troubles this idea was causing him. He could already see Rose screaming at him for using her as a trading coin.

That night Albus sat comfortably on his new bed with his legs crossed, and Scorpius in front of him, terribly uncomfortable for having Albus so close. The curtains of the four-poster closed so no one could see them.

"So, here's the deal. The Treatment consists of two potions–" Scorpius said, holding two flasks in his hands. "–And a cream." he finished, putting the two flasks down and raising a third flask containing a pale-yellow, viscous substance inside that looked more like an ointment than a cream.

"Mandrose stands for Mandrake and Rosemary Treament. The Rosemary will increase the blood flow in your brain, making it more active, reducing the time it takes to recover, and the Mandrake will keep the blood flow controlled, using it's magic to keep you stable, and allowing you to sleep at night. And lastly, the cream, made of Salvafare, Mandrake roots and oil of Dittany, must be applied to some parts of the head to heal the wounds that could cause the Disconnection Episodes. Questions?" Scorpius finished, looking less secure than he should, but still maintaining his serious expression.

"Uhhh...no, just get on with it." said Albus, now completely resigned to the fact that they'd go through with this.

"Okay, first you must drink the reddish potion, that's the Rosemary. And about a minute later you drink the pale green one. That's the Mandrake potion." said Scorpius, handing him both potions. Albus grabbed them and opened the first one, smelling it cautiously, and then drinking it in one efficient gulp.

"Oh...It's not that bad, you know." he said, closing the flask. Scorpius nodded and opened the flask containing the cream. He held it in one hand and with the other he flicked through the pages of a book laying next to him.

"Alright, here it says that I must rub the cream on your temples and exactly between your eyes until the cream is completely absorbed by the skin..." he swallowed heavily. Until this very moment he hadn't thought about the fact that he'd have to touch Albus, and caress his skin. Nervously he poured some cream on his right hand and then distributed it evenly on both hands.

"Ready?" he asked

"Is it really necessary that you do it for me?" said Albus, an unreadable expression covering his face. He probably didn't want anyone touching him because of his dislike of exposure.

"Well, yes...at least until you know how to apply it correctly" replied Scorpius, almost apologizing.

"Alright, get on with it then." said Albus, shrugging.

Scorpius leaned forwards and put his hands on both Albus's temples, slowly massaging them in a circular motion. the contact with Albus's soft skin made his mouth go dry and the air leave his lungs. He didn't want to look at Albus in the eyes because he knew he wouldn't be able to look away if he did. He noticed that Albus also looked at every direction possible, avoiding looking at him.

"Should I...drink it now?" asked Albus

"What?..Oh...Oh yes, yes now" replied Scorpius. He had forgotten about the second potion, feeling Albus skin beneath his fingertips. Once the cream was completely absorbed he opened the flask again and poured a little bit more on his finger, this time to rub it on Albus's front, just between his eyes. He waited for Albus to drink the potion and reached gently forward. His breaths were erratic and heavy; there was only a short distance separating them, and Scorpius had never seen Albus so close, he could see the shine of his deep green eyes looking up nervously. He'd just have to lean forward and their lips would meet.

_Wait, What the hell is wrong with you, Scorp?. _he said to himself. He had never understood the attraction he felt towards Albus, but now it was more real and palpable than ever. His body slightly shaking and his mouth drier than ever. It frightened him infinitely. He finished hastily and removed his hands from Albus's head, trying to regain his cool.

"Are you done?" Albus asked.

"Yes. Do you feel any different?"

Albus looked to the side for a moment, trying to register any difference.

"I just feel a bit sleepy" he said, yawing. that was probably because of the Potion, but Scorpius noticed that Albus was also starting to get a bit flushed.

"Wow...it's getting kinda hot in here" said Albus after a moment, moving his shirt rapidly.

"That's all part of the Treatment. Your body is starting to accelerate the blood flow, so you'll feel more hot." Scorpius said. "I'll let you sleep, you'll probably fall asleep anyway in a minute. I suggest you take your shirt off before going to sleep, or you'll roast." he finished, moving the curtains and stepping out of the four-poster bed. As he closed the curtains behind him, he registered Albus taking off his shirt while letting his head fall onto the pillow.

A minute later Albus was already asleep.

Scorpius stayed still in front of Albus's curtains. He wasn't so sure he could do this for two whole weeks anymore.


	6. Breaking Walls

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: Like always, please let me know if you find any errors! And thank you's to everybody who reviews and gives me feedback. THANKYOU!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Breaking Walls**

That night Scorpius barely slept at all. He would open his eyes every five minutes worried about Albus. He feared something would go wrong, that Albus wouldn't wake up, or that Scorpius would wake to the sound of Albus's yelps of pain. He replayed the Potion brewing in his head over and over again, trying to remember if he did everything correctly.

Finally, after a long sleepless night, the sun appeared on the horizon, dyeing the Slytherin room in green and blue.

Everyone in the room but Albus started moving, getting ready for classes. Scorpius waited patiently for him to appear from behind the curtains. 10 minutes,

15...,

30...,

but Albus wouldn't come out, until Scorpius couldn't wait anymore and slid his curtains open, finding Albus sleeping with his back towards him.

"Potter! Are you alright? Wake up!" he whispered, starting to get a bit desperate. Images of Rose yelling uncontrollably at him while they moved Albus to St. Mungo's Hospital flicked through his head.

"Potter, Wake up!" he said a little louder, daring to touch him and shake him a bit.

At the lightest touch Albus flinched and his head bolted towards Scorpius, still a bit sleepy but surprised.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" he drawled, his voice hoarse.

"Merlin, Potter, you could at least let me know you're still alive!" he said, relief flowing through his body. "It's almost time for class, you overslept"

"I don't _have_ classes, Malfoy, I'm sick, my body hurts all over, and I couldn't lit my wand even if my life depended on it." Albus said irritated, stifling a yawn.

Scorpius raised his shoulders and drew the curtain again. He was just too relieved to see that Albus had made it through the night safely and had awoken like his usual self.

"Oh, Potter, before I go, the Potions need Mandrake, and I won't risk sneaking into Professor Longbottom's cabinet again, so if you want me to brew them for you, I suggest you find a way to get them by the time I come back." Scorpius said, and with that he turned around and left the dormitories.

"Alright, have a nice day." replied Albus sleepily, turning around to go back to sleep. Scorpius wouldn't have time to have breakfast, but he didn't really care, because Albus's sudden words plastered a smile all over his face that erased every thought of hunger. Honestly talking to Albus was much, much more worthy.

* * *

><p>The next couple of days went on in much of a routine. Scorpius would go to his classes while Albus wandered around the castle asking Madame Pomfrey for pain killers and collecting the necessary ingredients for the Potions, and at night they'd both sit on Albus's new bed and talk just about anything while Scorpius finished the Potions. It was Scorpius's favorite moment of the day.<p>

The fourth day of the treatment sundown found the two boys sitting with the curtains drawn, Scorpius trying to get the right viscosity for the cream while Albus read an article about him that had come in the last edition of Witch Weekly.

"Hear this out, Malfoy." Albus said, and cleared his throat before continuing.

"_Albus Potter, the emerald-eyed teen heart rob, apparently has a new girl on his radar, Rita Skeeter writes. Sources tell us that the poor Slytherin boy had a severe injury during last week's Quidditch match, only because he was trying to impress a new girl with some outstanding flying acrobatics. Needless to say, the Potter-pie left more than a few girls starstruck, but his current girlfriend, Ravenclaw Emily Stark, is said to be livid!, Oh so much drama!_"

Albus finished reading with an expression of utter disgust, creasing the piece of paper like he always did after reading the articles.

"To be perfectly honest, Potter, you did look very keen to show-off" said Scorpius absently, smashing some roots into a bowl, making the substance turn a bit more yellow.

"I was trying to score! It had nothing to do with girls, I just got a bit carried away, that's all."

"And what about the Stark girl, is she really..._livid_?" Scorpius asked, rising his head just a bit to have a quick glance at Albus. The dark haired boy was about to say something about that being none of Scorpius's business, but then he met Scorpius's grey eyes. They were shining in a most peculiar way, and Albus realized he had never really _seen_ them. They were filled with something he couldn't quite identify. There was some sort of peace, and for the first time, _trust._

It made Albus feel, for the very first time in his life, that he could trust someone. There was a clarity in those eyes he had never seen before. He knew Scorpius wasn't asking out of gossip, but out of genuine interest.

"I...I don't know..." he said slowly. He realized that he wanted to tell Scorpius, he wanted to tell him everything. For the first time in his life Albus felt the need to talk about his problems. He wanted to tell him that he didn't really like Emily; that he was so fed up with articles about him, and about how it felt having to be with someone just to avoid being constantly news for other people to read. Suddenly the weight of secrets he was carrying became heavier than ever.

Scorpius's looked down again, knowing that Albus wouldn't tell him anything. He never did, not even to his closest friends. That much had always been clear. So he finished the last substance and proceeded with the treatment.

"Never mind." he said with a weak smile, looking at his bowl, realizing that he wasn't, and probably would never be someone in whom Albus would trust. So he just sighed and rubbed it off.

"Drink the first potion. I just finished the cream." he said, and poured a small amount of the substance on both hands, ready to begin the Treatment.

He touched once again Albus's temples, massaging them slowly and avoiding his gaze. But this time he noticed that Albus's eyes were fixed on him.

This time Albus couldn't take his eyes off Scorpius's grey ones. He couldn't understand how he had never noticed how beautiful they were before. He followed those shiny spheres while they moved looking at Albus's temples.

"She's a bit angry at me." he finally said. Simply because everything inside him wanted to talk to Scorpius. "I've been...avoiding her since the beginning of this term."

Scorpius was caught off guard by Albus's sudden rush of honesty, so before he realized, he was looking back deep into Albus's green eyes, unable to believe that the boy was actually telling him_._

"Oh, that's...sad" he managed to say in nothing more than a whisper. He noticed he was staring at Albus and immediately looked away, drawing his hands back to pour more cream into them. He reached between Albus's eyes this time, massaging gently, trying his best not to look at the beautiful green eyes that followed him again.

"Your eyes...what color are they?" Albus asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on Scorpius's.

"_It's nothing, he's just curious Scorp, just answer, just answer." _He thought, as he felt his body begin to tremble lightly. A huge knot nested in the pitch of his stomach.

"Just...grey, like my father's" he managed to say, shrugging slightly.

"They're not" replied Albus, sounding confident. "They're...silver, like...just like Slytherin Silver." he said, still looking at his eyes. "They're...beautiful" he finished in a low voice, not really knowing why he said that last bit.

Scorpius dared to glance at Albus's green eyes again, "_just for a second"_, he thought. and as they locked gazes he knew that he was trapped, because he couldn't look away while the overwhelming feeling of irrational panic took over his body. They were so incredibly close, his hands resting on Albus's soft face, suddenly very aware of the feeling of Albus's skin under his hands. He wanted to lean forward. He wanted to touch Albus's soft lips so much, just close that infinitely small distance and give in to the desire of every inch of his body.

Albus wanted to so something, like drowning in the infinite sense of trust that Scorpius's eyes projected, or simply touch him, or just let their lips meet.

"_That wouldn't be so bad". _Albus thought absently, looking at Scorpius, ready to give in to the magnetic force drawing them together. But then rationality took over, jerking him back to the safe side, making him realize that it was weird, and impossible, and the pure surprise of the thought made him wince.

The sudden change of his expression made Scorpius suddenly come off a deep trance.

"Okay we're done!" said Scorpius, almost shouting, his mouth dry, standing up as fast as possible. He moved to his own bed and took out his Transfigurations essay, leaving Albus's curtains half open.

Albus stayed still for a moment, looking forward, thinking about what he had thought just moments ago.

He slowly grabbed the second potion, drank it, and took off his shirt, then he brought the blankets up to his neck and quickly slip away in a dreamless sleep while Scorpius finished his Transfiguration essay on his bed, forcing himself not to look to the side, with only the light of his wand to keep him company.

About half an hour later, he put down the quill and wrapped the piece of parchment. It was extremely uncomfortable to work on his bed, and he couldn't concentrate at all. He covered his face in his hands.

"_I'm becoming a bloody twelve year old girl, fantasizing over Albus freaking Potter, of all people", _he thought to himself. Sighing heavily.

He decided to finish the essay in the morning as he lay on his back, but before he could turn off the light of his wand, his eyes darted off to Albus, who now had the blankets up to his hips, revealing his naked chest and torso. He was laying on his back, with a hand slightly falling from the bed. Scorpius noticed that his body was well defined thanks to perhaps too many quidditch practices. His chest looked pale and smooth under the light of Scorpius's wand. Scorpius swallowed as he felt the knot in the pit of his stomach tighten. the dim light allowed him to see Albus's pale chest slowly rising and falling in what seemed to be a deep sleep.

The git had forgotten to close his bed's curtains, and since Scorpius knew he liked privacy, he wondered if he should get up and close them for him. He decided it was the best thing to do, so he got up and stood in front of Albus's four-poster, grabbing the end of the curtains with one hand. But he didn't close them.

He stopped and looked at Albus from above: his lips slightly parted, breathing slowly, and his naked chest so close to him. He was so beautiful. His eyes wandered to the boy's nipples and he felt his mouth go dry. All it would take was a stretch of his arm and he would touch the other boy's soft skin.

Without thinking, his free arm started moving towards Albus's chest, closing the distance. But halfway through the motion he made a full stop as he noticed that the dark haired boy had his eyes open and was staring at him.

Scorpius felt a rush of tension and grabbed the curtains more firmly, now looking directly into Albus's green eyes while his other hand stood halfway between them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Albus asked, still half asleep, but looking at Scorpius with a suspicious look.

"Calm down you privacy princess, you fell asleep with your curtains open, I'm just closing them for you" He replied, thinking as quickly as he could, dropping his hand to his side slowly.

"Oh...Thanks Scorp" Albus mumbled, and turned around, drifting to sleep again just as quickly as he had awoken.

Scorpius let out a sigh, feeling his muscles relax, and finally moved the curtains, cursing in the dark for being so stupid.

"_The hell are you playing at Scorpius? It will never happen so you better just well forget about it" _He told himself angrily, while sliding inside his own bed and drawing the curtains. He turned off the light and stayed looking at the ceiling for some time, waiting for the knot in his stomach to loosen a bit.

"_But he called me Scorp", _he thought, smiling stupidly to himself. Then he realized he wasn't so sure if that made everything better or worse.

* * *

><p>The next morning Scorpius woke up late and went straight to classes. He felt more tired than ever, partly because of having to brew Potions everyday between classes. But also because throughout the last week almost everything had changed for him.<p>

For once he started feeling like there was something that made his days different, and worth living. He constantly found himself eagerly awaiting nightfall, when he would be sitting next to Albus, talking and laughing about anything while finishing the Potions. These thoughts filled him with excitement and happiness. But there were some thoughts that also made his stomach tighten. He had tried to ignore it, but the truth was as clear as crystal: He liked Albus. Not only as a friend, but also in a romantic way, he _fancied_ him. It was impossible to deny it. He only felt alive when Albus was around, and the most subtle touch was enough to make his whole body shiver. He dreamt about the dark haired boy, and sometimes he would stay awake at night just to hear the other boy's slow breathing.

Scorpius had never questioned his sexuality, mainly because he always assumed he would end up marrying a pure-blood witch, so there was really no point thinking about it, but now the arrival of Albus to his life had put everything into perspective. He still didn't reach any conclusions though, because the face of every fantasy he played in his head ended up having only Albus's eyes, and hair, and skin and smile. He just liked _Albus_, and that was it. But it terrified him endlessly to think of what Albus would say if he ever found out about Scorpius's true feelings, and it terrified him even more to think what his father would say if he ever found out. and he vowed to never, ever tell him anything about it.

He decided that since his life didn't really have meaning, one more unattainable thing added to the list wouldn't be so much of a problem...

But he still dreamed of Albus. And it hurt to think that nothing would ever happen between them.

All these thoughts made his nights more tiresome than they should be, and his days filled with thoughts that looped eternally, spiraling until Scorpius didn't want to think anymore about them.

"Mr. Malfoy? are you listening?" came Professor Flitwick's voice, making Scorpius come back from his deep thoughts. The morning Charms module had just finished, and he found himself sitting alone in the classroom with the small teacher calling his name.

"Yes, I mean no, sorry Professor. What it is?" he asked quickly, paying attention to the Professor.

"I was saying that I'd be very thankful if you could take this homework to Mr. Potter, he may be sick but he still needs to practice." repeated Professor Flitwick, patting a piece of parchment laying over the table.

"Yes, ok sir, I'll give it to him." he said, standing up and walking towards the front desk.

Professor Flitwick nodded at him and walked out of the classroom. Scorpius grabbed the piece of parchment, stuffed it inside his bag and walked out of the classroom, yawning.

"_I really need to get some rest", _he thought to himself, heading lazily towards the Great Hall


	7. Of Frog Cards and Breakups

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_Note: Like always, please let me know if you find any errors! My english is rubbish sometimes, so sorry about that. Also thank you to those who comment and review with positive feedback. Especially **Blueberry709,** who's been so nice and supportive all the time! Thank you so much!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Of Frog Cards and Breakups**

Scorpius decided that after lunch he'd go back to the dormitories and have a quick nap before the next module, so he ate quickly, grabbed an apple, and started walking towards the Slytherin Common Room.

When he reached the dormitories, he opened the door and found Albus standing alone in the middle of the room, shirtless, with a wand in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Hey, Scorp! Check this out!" he said, and pointed the wand towards him- "Accio!" he shouted, and the apple in Scorpius's hand hovered lazily towards Albus, but fell to the floor halfway through. Albus had a huge smile plastered on his face, as if the spell had had outstanding results "Did you see that? My magic is coming back and it's been less than a week!" he said filled with excitement.

"That's remarkable, Albus" said Scorpius stifling a yawn. He lifted the apple from the floor and walked to his bed.

"And I feel fantastic. I think all my ribs are completely healed! Maybe I'll be able to begin Quidditch training by tomorrow!" Albus said.

"Oh, that's great. I've been putting small doses of _Skele-Gro_ in your Potions to increase the healing. Apparently it's working." replied Scorpius, smiling at Albus. The grin on Albus's face made his heart swell and all the tiredness disappear.

"Oh, hey, Look what I've got!" Albus said, grinning while running to his bed and kneeling down to reach and grab a black bag under the four-poster. He opened it in front of Scorpius, and he could see a huge mess of plants and roots and seeds tangled together.

"How on earth are you getting those Albus? Those are extremely rare!" Scorpius asked, completely confused by the boy's knack for collecting rare plants.

"My dad knows professor Longbottom. He goes to our house every now and then, so I know him well too." said Albus, while crouching down beside Scorpius to hide the bag under the bed. The sight of the dark-haired boy bending his naked body sent butterflies down Scorpius' stomach, hot arousal heading south. "So, I remembered you gave me the herbs book that he sent while I was at the Hospital wing. So I told him it was the greatest book I've ever read." continued Albus, now standing and looking excitedly at Scorpius while he finished the story. "You should've seen him. He was ecstatic! I asked him if I could borrow some herbs from his cabinet every once in a while, just to know how they look like. And he almost squealed. No don't laugh! I swear to you, he was about to start jumping in one leg!" Scorpius laughed at the thought of professor Longbottom jumping and squealing with glee. "He gave me a copy of the key, and told me that the cabinet was practically mine." finished Albus, shrugging while showing Scorpius an old, rusty key.

"It's a wonder to me how is it that you've got the whole school on your feet, Potter." Scorpius said, half talking about his own situation. Albus just shrugged.

"So, how was _your_ morning?" asked Albus, putting his wand back in his pocket.

"Fine, slept almost the whole morning actually." replied Scorpius "Oh, by the way, Professor Flitwick asked me to give you this homework." He opened the bag laying on his bed and took out the piece of parchment in one hand, and a chocolate frog card he had put there the day before on the other.

"What is it?" asked Albus, approaching and extending his arm. The fact that he was now so close and shirtless made Scorpius very uncomfortable and nervous, so he tried not to look at him very much, just so his eyes wouldn't wander. He put the chocolate frog card on the bedside table and handed the piece of parchment to Albus.

"Oh, this sucks" said Albus, sitting beside Scorpius on the same bed while he read the parchment. Scorpius absently noticed he could smell Albus's body. he smelled really nice, but he couldn't identify the smell. He supposed it was just Albus's skin. He wanted rest his head on Albus's shoulder, to press his face against his arm or chest and feel his scent, but he contained himself.

He came back to reality when a letter fell from the ceiling onto the floor. Owls that knew that some of Slytherin's windows weren't under the lake used to deliver letters there. Albus picked up the letter and scowled.

"It's for me. It's Emily" he said, ripping the envelope and reading the letter quickly. His eyes moving rapidly as he studied the piece of paper. He suddenly started laughing.

"I assume everything's okay?" said Scorpius, who had been watching Albus carefully.

"It's worse than you think" said Albus, with a smile on his face.

"I don't understand...Why are you smiling then?"

"Emily's been sending me these weird subtext in all of her letters. I've had the feeling that she wants to dump me for weeks now, and this letter just confirms it. She's telling me all about this new Gryffindor bloke she met at Hogsmeade." replied Albus.

"So, she's breaking up with you then?" asked Scorpius, completely confused.

"Oh no, she'd never dump me. I suppose she thinks everyone will hate her if she does. But all her letters suggest the same, that she's tired of me. Quite honestly I'm tired of her too..." he stopped suddenly. Albus had never said this to anyone, but he wanted to tell Scorpius "– ...I've never really fancied her." he said finally, his expression unreadable.

Scorpius stayed silent for a moment. He wasn't used to Albus suddenly telling him so many things about his private life. But he couldn't help thinking about the obvious question, so he dared to ask.

"And who...who do you fancy then?" he asked, his mouth going dry.

Albus looked at him, wondering whether he should answer.

"I...I don't know. I think I like someone..." he stopped momentarily. "But, how can you really be sure? I don't think I've ever really liked someone before." he said. He looked at Scorpius, waiting for an answer. But Scorpius didn't really have an answer for that.

The air had suddenly become very tense.

"I suppose you just..._know_." Scorpius said. His eyes wandered to Albus' pink lips "But I've heard that...when you kiss the other person, that's when you really know if you like them..." Scorpius replied, shrugging and trying to sound as theoretical as possible, trying to hide his quivering voice.

Albus stayed silent, the side of his lips twisting into a weak smile. "Yeah...maybe that's what I've got to do." he said finally, looking at Scorpius mysteriously. The tension in the room became too much for Scorpius.

"Anyway!...why don't you...you know, break up with her?" he said, clearing his throat to recover his usual nonchalant tone.

"What?"

"Emily, you said you're tired of being with her, why don't you break up with her?" repeated Scorpius.

"Well, because if I do that, everyone will find out and the magazines will start gossiping about my love life again. And you have no idea how uncomfortable that is." replied Albus, sounding as if it were completely obvious.

"Well...I've talked to her a couple of times, and she's quite nice. Just tell her not to say anything for a while, I'm sure she will agree, 'cause she won't like people thinking that she broke up with you either." said Scorpius, shrugging. He smiled weakly, trying to encourage Albus. Not because he wanted Albus to be single, but because he wanted him to be happy.

Albus's face suddenly lit up, his expression changing into excitement.

"That's brilliant, Scorp!" he said finally. "I just have to ask her not to say anything for the sake of both of us, and she'll probably agree with that!" he said, running to his bedside table and grabbing a piece of parchment.

"I'm always brilliant, Al." said Scorpius. He saw Albus beaming at him and realized that he hadn't said anything about Scorpius calling him _Al._

"Alright, just give me a second, I'll write to her immediately" said Albus, still smiling while he got himself comfortable beside Scorpius on the bed. Scorpius could see the complete piece of parchment, along with everything Albus was writing.

"_Saddens_ is spelled with two _d's, _Al_." _Scorpius said, reading the letter from over his shoulder.

"Oh, right, thanks." he didn't wince, or say anything about the "Al" thing, again.

After a brief moment, he folded the letter and stuffed it inside an envelope. He wrote "Emily Stark" at the back, and drew out his wand.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_" he whispered, and the letter flew up high with difficulty, until it reached the window in the upper part of the bedroom. He then whistled in a peculiar way, and seconds later they heard the hooting of an Owl.

"Alright. It's done." Albus said, putting the wand back in his pocket, and sighing. He put on the shirt that was laying on his bed, and in the process noticed the Chocolate Frog Card on top of the bedside table.

"Is that yours?" he asked Scorpius.

"Umm...yeah...but I don't...I don't collect them" lied Scorpius, too ashamed to accept the fact he still collected the cards.

"Can I have it?" asked Albus, looking expectantly. Scorpius made a suspicious look.

"Why do _you_ want it?" he asked, Albus shrugged and put on his shirt.

"It's for...It's for my little sister, Lily, she collects them, you know, she's just a kid, still interested in those things" he finished, uncertain.

"Oh...alright, sure, you can have it" replied Scorpius, sounding unsure. He watched Albus grab the card and stuff it in his pocket. Scorpius didn't have another one of those, so he felt too uncomfortable just giving it away.

"Thanks, mate" said Albus "I'll go outside for a while, see you later." he finished, walking towards the door.

"Al, wait!" Scorpius yelled as soon as Albus touched the door. "I...I can't give you the card." he said finally, giving up. "I collect them, alright?"

Albus looked at him with a bemused expression. "You still collect Chocolate Frog Cards?"

"Yeah, I know, it's pathetic, whatever. But I only have one of those, and I can't just give it away." he said, looking down at his bed, embarrassed for having to confess.

Albus looked at him. he wanted to just stay quiet, but he couldn't.

"I..." he started laughing, before Scorpius could say anything. "I lied too. It wasn't for my sister. I collect Chocolate Frog Cards too..."

"Oh, sod off you prat!" said Scorpius, assuming Albus was just messing with him.

"No, no really Scorp! I collect Chocolate Frog Cards too. I've never told anyone because, well, I felt kinda silly." Albus replied, approaching Scorpius slowly. "Here" he said, giving the Chocolate Frog Card back.

"Are you serious?" asked Scorpius, unable to believe that Albus Potter of all people collected Chocolate Frog Cards too.

"Of course I'm serious." Albus replied, offering a weak smile. He grabbed Scorpius's hand and opened it softly. The touch making Scorpius's heart skip a beat. Albus placed the Card in the blond's hand, and looked at him in the eyes. Deep green eyes shining beautifully.

"Just...let me know if you get _Circe_, I've been trying to get her for weeks." whispered Albus, and with that he let go of Scorpius's hand and walked towards the exit. Leaving Scorpius alone in the room, sitting on his bed with his hand open and the card on his palm.

* * *

><p>By nightfall they stepped into their usual routine, sitting on Albus's bed, Albus doing his homework while Scorpius finished the mixture.<p>

"I didn't add _Skele-Gro_ this time, since you told me you were already healed." he said, mixing the cream.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'll start practicing Quidditch tomorrow" said Albus, reading what he had written on his Charms homework. "I don't understand this homework at all! do you think you could explain to me all this Banishing Charms gestures tomorrow after Quidditch?"

"I suppose, but are you really gonna go out and practice Quidditch? If any teacher sees you playing they'll remove your medical license and you'll have to go back to classes, so maybe you're risking too much."

"The only thing I care about, is winning the Quidditch Cup. Everything else are details"

Finally Scorpius finished the mixture and Albus drank the first Potion. Scorpius poured the cream on his fingers and started massaging Albus's temples, like usual. Albus had been smiling nonstop since he sent the letter, and kept his happy face while Scorpius put the cream on his temples.

"Stop smiling like that, you look like an idiot." said Scorpius, smiling too. "I'm just excited, you know? I'm healing really fast, I can play Quidditch now, and I don't have to worry about Emily anymore..." he replied, looking at Scorpius's grey eyes.

"You know, you could do this yourself, now that you know how it's done" said Scorpius absently, talking about the Cream Treatment.

Albus was looking directly into the blond's eyes, staring at him insistently.

"I know..." was all he said, yet he didn't do anything.

Scorpius wondered what that meant. "_Does he like me doing it?"_ he thought, and the very idea made him shiver with raw excitement. He looked at the green eyes, trying to decipher the mysterious gaze. He could feel Albus's breath against his face, their eyes locked in what seemed an eternity.

"_Just do it, just kiss him!" _A part of himself was telling him, so he leaned forward just a bit, and Albus didn't wince or draw back, he stayed completely immobile, still staring at the blond. Scorpius was just about to close the short distance between their lips when a part of himself (perhaps the wisest part) said "_If you do it, you'll fuck it up big time, Albus doesn't want you as anything more than a friend, and you know it." _so before doing something he'd regret, he drew back, and poured a little more cream on his fingers. He moved a bit closer to Albus, and reached for his forehead, just between his eyes.

Albus still looked at him, hardly missing a single move of Scorpius.

"Hey, Scorp?" he said, almost in a whisper.

"Hmm?" Scorpius replied, focusing on Albus's forehead, massaging slowly, feeling Albus's pale soft skin under his fingertips.

"Have you ever kissed a boy?" came Albus's question, this time whispering but firm. The question barely audible.

Scorpius's heart fell to the floor, and shivers went down his spine, making his whole body start trembling.

"Wh...what do you mean" asked Scorpius, his voice faltering and quivering slightly. His hands were shaking more than ever, so Albus lifted his arms and wrapped his hands around Scorpius's wrists, decreasing the evident trembles.

"I mean, have you every kissed another man." Albus asked again with cold determination in his eyes.

Scorpius let go of Albus's head, slowly lowering his arms.

"I...no, I haven't. Why would you even ask that though? isn't that kind of personal?"

Albus shrugged. "I just remembered what you said before, about kissing somebody to really know if you like them. And then I just wondered if it would be the same for a man, since I've never kissed one either." said Albus, sounding cool and relaxed, but then his eyes flickered and a tone of uncertainty dyed his next words. "And I thought...a minute ago, that you were going to... kiss... me..." he finished with difficulty, because just then his eyelids started closing automatically, the Potion working inside his body. He started swinging dangerously from one side to another.

"You're just dreaming, Al." whispered Scorpius. He grabbed Albus and gently laid him on his back with his pillow under his head. He touched the dark-haired boy's cheeks and noticed he was really warm, so he lifted him a bit a took off his shirt with difficulty. Albus had already slipped into unconsciousness.

Scorpius wondered if Albus would remember the last words he said. He stared at Albus, shirtless and fast asleep beside him. He knew now, looking at him, that Albus was everything he wanted; now, in the intimacy of closed curtains, in the darkest and deepest hour of the night, he confessed to himself that if he could just touch Albus's lips, everything in his life would be perfect again. If he had the freedom to choose someone, it would be Albus, a million times and more. And it hurt him so much to know that nothing would ever happen between them. Because his destiny was sealed, and because his father wouldn't allow it, and because Albus Potter would never like him back. Because everyone liked Albus, and if he could choose anyone, why would he ever choose Scorpius?

He stood up and closed the curtains behind him, walked to his own bed and laid there, just like every night for the past week, looking at the tester while listening to Albus's soft breaths, and he knew, in his heart of hearts, that what he felt was something new, and unique. "_This must be what being in Love feels like" _He thought, closing his eyes.

Just when he thought life didn't have any brightness anymore, the biggest and brightest light yet stumbled upon him, dressed in dark hair and emerald green eyes, and Quidditch robes and clumsiness. Albus was the only light in his tunnel of hopelessness. And when he was with Albus, the tunnel didn't look like a tunnel at all, but an infinite field of sunflowers.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry about Scorpius being so hopelessly romantic, but this is a new situation and he's just in love. lol_

_Also, I won't update soon because I've got a surgery to my hand so I won't be able to write anything till next Wednesday when they remove the stitches. Sorry!_

_Wish me luck!_


	8. The Problems of Trust

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. But now I'm fine and the surgery went well, so I can write again!_

_Like always, please let me know if you find any errors! Also thank you to those who comment and review with positive feedback._

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**The Problems of Trust**

The next morning Albus decided to go and have breakfast with his brother, or his cousin, since he hadn't seen them for almost a week. He also wanted to go practice some Quidditch to see if he was ready to have his Chaser position back, and since it was saturday, everyone would be in the pitch early.

When he entered the Great Hall he felt like everyone was staring at him, specially the girls, who seemed to be smiling more than usual. "_They've noticed my absence", _he thought to himself, smiling back at them. He soon caught sight of Rose, sitting alone in the Gryffindor table. He walked to the table and sat in front of her.

"Morning, Rose!" he said, good tempered. The prospect of finally mounting his broomstick again making him feel light and relaxed.

"Oh, there he is, haven't seen you in a while Al. Been up to something lately?" she said smiling, a look of complicity on her face.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"I've heard about your mysterious Hogsmeade visits during the week." Albus looked more confused than before.

"I haven't been to Hogsmeade since last month Rose...will you tell me what's going on?"

Rose sighed and opened the Daily Prophet she had on her side, trying to find a certain page.

"There" she said, turning the paper around so Albus could read, pointing at an article on the bottom of the page. Albus read out loud.

"_This week is special, my dear readers, because as you read this, the judges are deciding this year's Witch Weekly's most charming smile award, so stay with us while we tell you all about the nominated Wizards..." _

Albus looked at Rose, still not knowing what was happening_ "_What's all this rubbish? What do I care about this stupid award?"he asked.

"Not there, silly" Rose said, rolling her eyes, "The last bit, there." She said pointing with her finger at the last portion of the article.

"_...And in a completely unrelated subject, hold on tight, young Witches, because we have some juicy news for you: Rumor has it that the fourth year heart rob Albus Potter is finally single and, if my sources are reliable (and Merlin, they are!), looking for some action._

_Apparently his long term relationship with Ravenclaw girl Emily Stark has come to a crashing end (apparently there were hexes and screaming involved) after he was sighted in an extremely friendly situation with another girl, whose name is yet to be revealed, inside the Three Broomsticks pub in the town of Hogsmeade (Oh, Albus you naughty boy!). So get in line, girls, because the emerald-eyed Potter boy is out and hunting once more."_

Albus read softer and softer as the words registered, until he finished, then he stared at the article for a while, processing the information. He felt the excitement of the day shatter at the realization that the news of his breakup had spread like wildfire in just one day.

Just like he always feared. He ripped the page off the newspaper and stuffed it into his robes. His mind blank, _how had they known? How had they known so fast?_

* * *

><p>Albus stalked out of the room without eating anything. He walked back to the Slytherin common room to get his broom so he could go fly. Maybe that would calm him. His heart was pounding fast and his brain was working hard, filled with anger.<p>

As he walked out of the castle and to the fields with his Broomstick in his hand, he heard someone calling him from behind.

"Al, wait up!" Lorcan shouted, trotting after him.

"What do you want?" hissed Albus, not bothering to look back.

"Wow, someone's having a bad day"

Albus looked at Lorcan, who had started to walk beside him.

"I'm fucking raving Lorc, so don't push it" he spat, walking hastily towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Why, is it because Emily broke up with you?" asked Lorcan, venturing to ask, knowing full well that it was dangerous. Lorcan knew Albus since they were kids though, so he knew perfectly well how to handle it.

"She didn't break up with me! It was a mutual agreement!" Albus replied, almost shouting. He knew that by now everybody in the school would already know about his break up.

"Then why are you so mad?"

"I don't know how everyone found out!, nobody knew about it!" said Albus, combing his hair to the side, as the wind fought to untidy it.

"Well...who did you tell?" asked Lorcan, cautiously.

"I didn't tell anyone, you know I never do, Lorc! I just wrote Emily a letter and...–" Albus made a full stop in the middle of the grounds. Realization suddenly sinking in. A harsh pain in his chest threatened to leave him without air.

"...Scorpius." he breathed finally, looking to the horizon.

"Malfoy? You told Malfoy?" asked Lorcan, looking at Albus curiously and emphasizing the word "_Malfoy_".

"I...yes...he was there, he suggested the idea..." said Albus absently, thinking fast about yesterday's events.

"Well, there you go then, Al." said Lorcan matter-of-factly.

"But...why?" Albus whispered, almost asking to himself, feeling completely empty, betrayal slowly filling him.

"Well...who knows...the Malfoy family has never been good; perhaps Scorpius wanted to clean his name by showing everybody that he's friends with you. After all, what better way to clean your name than to befriend the Potter family?" reasoned Lorcan, his theory making so much sense that it hurt Albus deeply.

Albus didn't say another word, but his brain was thinking about a thousand things per second. "_How could I be so stupid", _he asked himself repeatedly, _"How could I fall so easily for that?". _What hurt him the most was that he really didn't understand what he felt for Scorpius anymore. Throughout the last week he'd felt particularly drawn towards him. There was something about the way Scorpius looked at him that made him feel so secure and peaceful. He had truly, honestly felt like Scorpius was the first person he could really trust, like he could tell him everything and he'd still feel safe. This feeling made the betrayal even more painful. He had fallen so easily for it. he had been so stupid, thinking he could trust Scorpius, there was _no one, no one_ trustworthy, and he wouldn't allow himself to trust anyone ever again. He only thanked that he hadn't _kissed_ Scorpius last night, although he wanted to with all his heart. If that had happened, by today everyone would probably be calling him a _bloody poof_. The very thought of that scenario made him clench his teeth and hands. fueling his shame and anger even further.

The whirlwind of thoughts didn't cease once he reached the pitch and mounted his broom. Even when flying through the air he couldn't get rid of the pain in his chest. he felt like he wanted to cry, or scream. The betrayal spawned so much anger that he didn't enjoy flying one second. He started shooting through the air at incredible speed, the wind drying the scarce small teardrops that fell from his eyes.

He looked to the side and he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach: he saw Scorpius there, sitting on one of the benches, looking at him with a smile on his face and the silver eyes piercing him.

He felt his heart shrinking and he sped up towards the other end of the pitch. He couldn't take his mind off those shining grey eyes. Those eyes that made him feel so secure, and calm. Those eyes that looked at him every night, making his walls crumble. Those deceiving eyes, so beautiful and poisonous.

"_The git probably thinks I still want him around me"_ thought Albus, looking at the blond boy at the other end of the pitch. He slowly started slowing down, heading towards the ground. He unmounted his broom just in front of Lorcan.

"Those were some nice moves, Al!" he said, patting Albus on the shoulder while the boy passed a hand through his hair to comb it.

Albus saw Scorpius in the distance, approaching him with a hasty walk.

"Oh, here he comes, I better go" said Lorcan, noticing Scorpius. He walked away quickly, and Albus turned away too, starting to walk towards the changing rooms.

"Al, wait up!" Scorpius screamed through the pitch.

Albus made a full stop and turned with a furious face.

"Don't _fucking_ call me Al, Malfoy! that's Albus to you" he said through gritted teeth.

Scorpius looked confused. "Wha-"

"Listen, I don't know you, and you're _definitely_ not my friend" Said Albus crashing his index finder against Scorpius' chest. "and just because I'm a Potter doesn't mean you have the right to assume that you fucking know me already." He turned around and continued to walk away.

"What are you talking about?" Scorpius asked, completely paralyzed by Albus' sudden humor change.

Albus stopped and turned again.

"Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about? That's funny, perhaps this will help you clear your memory" spat Albus, and drew out the piece of paper from his pocket, throwing it square on Scorpius's face.

"I don't want you near me Malfoy, not now, not ever." he said, and pushed Scorpius back before he could pick up the paper. Scorpius stumbled backwards, but didn't fall, taken aback by Albus's behavior. The dark haired boy turned around and walked hastily to the changing rooms.

"Albus–" whispered Scorpius, watching him go.

"Piss off!" Albus screamed while walking to the changing rooms with his broomstick over his shoulder, leaving Scorpius standing in the middle of the pitch.

Albus looked back before crossing the doors and saw Scorpius still in the middle of the pitch, with the piece of paper in his hands, reading it with an expression of absolute horror.

* * *

><p>By lunchtime that same day, Albus was called by the Transfiguration professor, Mrs. Wasilewski, who had seen him flying during the morning and so asked him to go to her office. Albus reluctantly said he was fine and ready to go back to classes by Monday, still with so many things in his head that he couldn't quite follow what Mrs Wasilewski was telling him. When he left the office, the corridors were filled with students walking towards the Great Hall for lunch. He also suddenly noticed that Scorpius was behind him, walking fast to reach him. He was still in a foul mood, as angry as he could possibly be with Scorpius.<p>

"What do you want?" he spat, turning around to face Scorpius.

"Albus, about the article, I didn't–"

"Let me guess, you didn't know I would get angry, right? you thought it was perfectly fine to tell everybody what you know about me, because I'm a Potter and apparently the world is entitled to know everything about my life. You thought I wouldn't mind, that I'd just ignore it and we'd still be friends?"

"Albus I didn't say anything–"

"Don't _fucking _lie to me, Malfoy! I know it was you. You just had to tell everyone how close you had become with me, didn't you?" Albus shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

"You couldn't wait to tell everyone that you knew everything about me, because I'm that stupid, and I thought I could trust you. You're a fucking liar, Scorpius!" he finished, glaring at him with fury.

"Albus, listen to me–"

"No, Malfoy, I don't want to listen to you, I don't care what you have to say. I should've known from the very beginning that you were up to no good. I should've known. What else did you tell the newspaper? huh? I bet you told them all about the Treatment, I bet you also told them that we–" before he could say another word, Scorpius launched his fist against him and punched him square in the face, leaving Albus completely taken aback. He noticed that everyone in the hallway was looking at them.

"Shut the fuck up, Albus!" shouted Scorpius, "If it wasn't for me you'd still have your sorry arse at the hospital wing and out of your stupid Quidditch tournament. The least I expect is a little bit of gratitude, but No!, Mr. Potter is too damn important to waste his time with such nonsense, isn't he?" he spat, staring dangerously at Albus in the eyes.

"Well guess what, I don't give a fuck that you're the son of Harry Potter, I'm not gonna stay with my arms crossed while you call me a liar in front of everyone for no reason at all. If you don't wanna believe me, _fine_, I couldn't care less, but don't go around assuming that everyone is so bloody interested in your pathetic social life. Stop being so full of yourself, Potter." he finished with venom in every word. He turned around and stalked away without looking back.

"Albus, Albus!" he heard someone screaming from behind. He turned around and saw Emily Stark approaching swiftly.

"I've been trying to find you all day!" she said stopping in front of him, panting. "I–I'm sorry about the Daily Prophet thing...I...I wanted to hide it, but Vera had already read it when I found it on my bed." Emily confessed, talking fast, with a look of pain on her face.

"What?" Albus asked. He couldn't understand Emily, since she'd come out of the blue talking about Vera and the letter when he had been rubbing his cheek, trying to ease the pain of Scorpius's fist while thinking about what had just occurred.

"Vera Davis, my roommate, she saw the letter on my bed and opened it before I even had the chance to hide it. She told Luvia, and Amanda overheard. I'm so sorry Albus!" explained Emily, apologizing. Everybody knew that Vera couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it, and everybody knew, also, that Amanda was Rita Skeeter's niece. So chances were that if she heard some gossip about Albus, it would end up in the news by the next morning.

The realization of Albus's grave mistake hit him harder than Scorpius's fist. His gaze lost in thought, forgetting about Emily and the rest of the students around him.

"Albus, are you listening to me?" came Emily's voice, urgent and wavering.

"No. I...I just realized, I've made a terrible mistake..." said Albus, almost talking to himself. How stupid had he been...

He had to find Scorpius. He had to find him and apologize a hundred times now, before it was too late.


	9. Friendship

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: Ok so I'm finding it harder and harder to make some time to write, so I can't update quite as ofter as I used to. So Sorry about that. And sorry about the absolutely dreadful wording of this chapter. I haven't had time to revise and check the spelling. But oh well, when has that really helped TBH._

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Friendship**

"I'm not gonna cry" was the mantra Scorpius repeated to himself in his mind. He was at the Library, sitting at a dusty old table at the end of the room, where no one ever went because there was hardly any light.

"I'm not gonna cry!" he repeated. His head rested over his wrapped arms on the table. As he repeated the words in his head, slow teardrops started falling from his closed eyes. "Stop, Scorp!" He whispered to himself. But it was useless, he felt devastated. He felt like he had lost the one thing that was beautiful in this hell that he called life. This time he had lost Albus for good.

"Don't fucking cry!" he muttered to himself, sniffing, feeling his cheeks wet. The tears rolled down to his lips and he could taste them.

Scorpius heard footsteps approaching, so he sniffed loudly and tried to dry his tears by rubbing his face against his arm, but he didn't rise his head.

"Hey..." he heard Albus say, almost in a whisper. His voice sounding just beside him, across from the table. Scorpius felt his body go tense at the surprise of hearing that voice.

"Go away" he said, his voice muffled by his arms. But Albus didn't leave. Scorpius heard the chair in front of him move and felt the other boy sit on it. Potter was always so stubborn.

"Go away! How did you even find me?" Scorpius asked, still not ready to look at Albus.

"I...have my ways" replied Albus, hiding his father's Map in one of his pockets. "Anyway, I...I wanted to talk to you, there's some things I need to tell you..." he paused

"I don't wanna hear it"

"I wanted to say Thank you." Albus said, with a confident voice.

"What?" Scorpius felt confused. He was completely lost. "Why?" he asked.

"For treating me like I was nothing special. For saying you didn't care about my last name"

"It wasn't a compliment." came Scorpius' annoyed voice from his crossed arms.

"I know. Still, no one had ever treated me like that. I think I needed it, I think...I think I needed someone to punch me back to reality."

"You deserved it" Scorpius muttered.

"I know. And...I also came here to say that I'm really, truly sorry Scorp." Albus said, this time he sounded more gentle, his words softer.

Scorpius felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes started filling with tears again. If he said one word, he would certainly break. The fact that Albus was here, apologizing, still talking to him after he thought Albus wouldn't want to see him again was just too much for him.

"I...I should've listened to you. I should've trust you. I came to the wrong conclusions, and I was so unfair to you." Albus stopped briefly. He sighed and continued, "I just...I know that to you I might be just another random bloke, and you don't really care that much about me, you already made that clear, but...you're the first person in the world that I felt I could really trust. When I talked to you, yesterday...I felt like I was safe..."

Scorpius' head rotated slowly to look at Albus. he didn't believe what he was hearing. Could Albus possibly be more naïve? How could he ever think that he meant nothing to Scorpius?

Albus looked at Scorpius, with his shiny silver eyes and his slightly pink cheeks, and slowly moved his hand and placed it over Scorpius'. The blond boy felt his whole body go stiff at the gentle touch.

"You made me feel safe. And I had never felt that kind of trust before. And when I thought you had said all those thing to everyone, I...may have over reacted. If it had been someone else I would have been pissed, but I would have just rubbed it off. But because I thought it had been you, I was really devastated. And it hurt so much." Albus lost trail, and stayed silent for a while, his hand resting over Scorpius's hand.

"Why can't you just..._trust_ people?" Scorpius asked, his voice low, too aware of his hand under Albus' gentle touch.

"I...don't know. I wish I could, but...I guess not trusting people is my way of making sure there's a part of me that still belongs only to me...I don't know if that makes sense..." he said, looking at his hand.

"Can you forgive me?" Albus looked expectantly, but suddenly Scorpius frowned.

"No, Al, I can't." he said slowly, looking directly into Albus' eyes. He wanted to forgive him more than anything, but he wanted to help Albus, make him realize his mistake.

Albus stared back in shock. he wasn't expecting that answer at all.

"I can't be your friend, if you are unable to trust me."

"But I trust you"

"You don't." Said Scorpius immediately. "You don't trust anybody, I can literally see the walls you build around you. You push away everyone, you don't even let your friends in."

"They still like me, they trust me" Albus said, yanking away his hand, looking enraged and confused.

"But you don't trust them" continued Scorpius. "What kind of friendship is that? In a friendship you must let go, you must know deep in your heart that you are safe with them, that they will never betray you, that they will stay true to you even in the most difficult situations. If you don't feel like that, then you really don't have any friends."

Albus just looked at Scorpius, his expression was deep and thoughtful.

"I..." he knew what he wanted to say, but struggled as to how to say it. Finally he decided to just let it out. "I want to have a friend...I want you to be my friend, Scorp."

Scorpius stared back at Albus for a long time, feeling both sad for Albus but determined to not make a mistake.

"I think you should really think this through. Take your time, and think about it, because I can't be your friend if you can't trust me." he said, and with that he stood up, pushing the chair back, and walked hastily out of the library, leaving Albus just sitting there, looking forward while his confused brain tried to make sense of everything.

* * *

><p>Sunset found Scorpius sitting comfortably on his bed reading his Potions book, scribbling every now and then on a piece of parchment laying by his side.<p>

Albus opened the door slowly, going back to Scorpius for the first time since their discussion earlier that day.

"Hey..." he said, his voice thin.

Scorpius raised his head, and as he saw Albus a rush of excitement and fear ran over his body. "Hey..." he replied, in almost the exact same tone.

Albus entered shyly and closed the door behind him. He stood quite still for a while, just standing beside the door. Until finally he spoke.

"I've...I've thought about what you said, Scorp..." he said, his voice low but full of determination. "I really, really want to be your friend. I don't want to loose you." he finished.

Scorpius just looked at him, a knot in his stomach started to tighten as his eyes rested on Albus' face. the boy was so incredibly beautiful. His face and his personality, and his voice and his everything. The pessimistic side of Scorpius, which used to awake during dusk, said _"He only wants you as a friend. Nothing more will ever happen." _He knew he loved Albus, because even though he couldn't bare to have Albus just as a friend, he was willing to do it just for the sake of Albus' happiness.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, standing up slowly, leaving the book lying over his bed. Albus gave a few steps forward, hesitating.

"I'm sure. And I'm ready to tell you everything you want, if that's what you need." he said, completely secure of his words.

Scorpius' brain repeated the words _"Only a friend, Just a friend" _over and over again, mocking his feelings. He only wanted Albus, and it had been a torture to wait for him the whole afternoon, half expecting Albus to never talk to him again. But now that he knew that friends was the limit to their relationship, he felt a wave of sadness embrace him tightly. But he was willing to do it. He was willing to leave his feelings beside just for the sake of Albus' own happiness.

"Alright then" Scorpius said, forcing a smile. "I don't want you to tell me anything, I believe you. And I hope that next time you trust me when I tell you something." he finished. He wished he could just kiss Albus one time, just to know how it would feel, before he abandoned all hope. As Albus turned around with a smile on his face, walking towards the door, Scorpius began to get desperate, he didn't want to let go of the feeling yet. He didn't want Albus to leave the room.

"Wait!" He shouted, before he could control himself.

Albus turned around fast and looked curiously at Scorpius.

"What?" he asked, smiling. Scorpius was thinking fast, feeling his body react to Albus' smile in odd ways.

"I...I've decided what I want" he said, trying to keep his voice cool.

"Want from what?" Albus asked, tilting his head a bit in confusion.

"When I agreed to help you with the treatment, you said you would give me anything. I've decided what I want." he said. Each word was deliberate and calculated, so he wouldn't sound worried or nervous.

"Oh...that's great. What is it then?" replied Albus, now walking slowly towards Scorpius. He stopped just a couple of feet away with his hands in his pockets. He waited for Scorpius to answer. Scorpius took a few silent breaths, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"A kiss." he said finally. Looking straight to Albus' eyes. The words came out very cold and serious, and Albus' face went through a full transformation from surprise, to curiosity, and finally settling for a worried look.

"W-What? W-Why?" he asked, stuttering just a little, his voice quivering. Scorpius just shrugged, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"I just thought about what we talked last night. When I said I had never kissed a boy. And you know...I just want to try it. Curiosity, I suppose." he lied, trying to decipher what was going on inside Albus' mind. The dark haired boy didn't know if it was all part of a joke, or if Scorpius was being serious. He looked back at the blond boy for a while, trying to understand the situation.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Of course. It's not such a big deal after all, is it?"

Albus had run out of words. "No...I suppose not..." he answered, but worry and curiosity were marked on his face. "Alright...You are really weird, Scorp. But let's give it a go." Albus finally said, fueled up by an eager sensation building in the pit of his stomach as he started to lean forward.

"Wait." said Scorpius. "I'm the one who has to do it." Albus stopped and stood still, looking at Scorpius expectantly. Scorpius' body was filled with adrenaline and anxiety. _"The first and the last, Scorp"_ he said to himself. His hands were slightly trembling, and he dared not touch the dark haired boy with them. He took a deep breath and leaned forward very slowly. He stopped when his lips were inches away from the boy, looking at Albu's lips, like the breath you take before diving, and finally he moved his head forward, closing the short distance between them, as their lips crashed together. It was more a bumping of lips than an actual kiss, but he automatically closed his eyes, letting himself be consumed by the sensation and the knowledge that he was kissing Albus. Their lips didn't move for a couple of seconds, but then he felt Albus tilt his head slowly to the side and part his lips, kissing Scorpius' lower lip. Scorpius thought everything would be over within seconds, but suddenly he found himself overwhelmed by the feeling of Albus' tongue touching his lips, so he responded by parting his lips a bit more so Albus could slid his tongue, and as their tongues touched, passion and arousal exploded in both boys.

Albus didn't understand half of what was happening. He had never felt this way with Emily. The sensations came in waves that washed over his entire body, and he had never known that a kiss could feel this good. This was how it was supposed to feel. Their lips fitted perfectly and he just wanted more, so he placed his hand on Scorpius' cheek and forced his way deeper. Scorpius responded tilting his head and opening his mouth even more, their tongues entwined and their teeth bumping together. In the back of his head he knew he was taking it too far, that it was not normal, but the feeling grew stronger as Scorpius' tongue started moving with his, and he could taste every bit of Scorpius' mouth.

Suddenly the door opened and both boys jumped back in terror. Their faces flushed and their eyes widening in terror of what had happened. Tom entered the room oblivious to the whole situation. He didn't pay attention to the boys, ignoring completely their confused and terrified faces, or how close they were from one another.

Albus looked terrified, his body was completely aroused but his mind was in a state of shock. He took two slow steps backwards and then turned around and ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"You okay mate?" asked Tom, looking at the door and then at Scorpius, who looked perplexed and out of place.

"Yeah..." said Scorpius, looking at the door. He raised one arm and touched his lips with his fingers, still unable to believe what had happened. "Yeah...I'm alright...


	10. The End

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: Longer chapter, I hope you don't get bored! but I had to put many things in this one. As always if you find any misspelling or otherwise please let me know._

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**The End**

Albus started walking faster while crossing the Slytherin Common Room, ignoring the heads turning to look at him with worry. His body seemed to be moving by itself, looking for a place drop and be able to think. His expression was of absolute terror, but he wasn't scared, just really confused.

Before realizing, he was already walking out of the castle and heading towards the lake. The cold air of November hit him hard while he wandered around the lake looking for a tree where he could let himself fall. It wasn't completely dark yet, the sky was dyed in dark blue and black, with gentle touches of orange just over the horizon. Some stars were already shining up in the sky, and while Albus sat down against a tree and in front of the lake, his eyes darted to the turquoise blue star glimmering just over the lake. It was the brightest star of them all, and it always made him feel better.

The confusion and desperation slowly started decreasing, giving space to his more rational side, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.

He visualized Scorpius in his mind, trying to remember everything that had happened. Albus wasn't sure anymore if what he felt for Scorpius was _just_ friendship, because the events that took place in the last half hour pointed towards much deeper and darker feelings.

Putting his emotions into perspective, he could undeniably say that he had liked it, that much was clear, and there was no point denying it. But the level of arousal and excitement that he had felt was something he never expected.

"But I like girls..." he whispered to himself, crossing his hands around his chest and covering them from the cold wintry air.

"_Do you?..."_ responded a tiny voice in his head, with a tone that was compassionate yet determined. He had never liked a boy before, but come to think of it, he had never liked a girl before either. Emily was the only person he had dated, and to be honest he had never really fancied her. At least not in a sexual way. Kissing Emily had never felt the way kissing Scorpius had. The knot he felt in his stomach; the uncontainable desire to have more and more; the pleasure that overwhelmed and overflowed him, clouding all his senses; and the electricity that travelled down his spine with each movement of their tongues, were things that Emily had never managed to make him feel. And this realization made him feel quite uncomfortable and worried. He had never questioned his sexuality; he never felt like it was necessary because he assumed that dating a girl was what he was supposed to do. Because after all that was what Albus always did: What he was supposed to do.

But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, that kiss had been just something unexpected. It took him by surprise and that's why his body reacted so intensely. It wasn't any deeper than that, just a new experience and that's all.

"_Bullshit, you loved it and you know it." _said the tiny voice in his head with more strength than before. Albus shut his eyes tightly and tried to ignore the voice. He had other things to worry about, like Quidditch and the next match. He didn't have time to ponder these kinds of questions. he'd have enough time later, and meanwhile he'd just be more careful with Scorpius. At least until he could figure out what he truly felt.

* * *

><p>When Albus came back to the dormitories, the sky was already completely dark, and Scorpius was the only one inside the room. He was seating with his legs crossed, reading the same Potions book. As soon as he saw Albus, his expression froze, but he managed to regain his neutral facade immediately. He looked at Albus carefully.<p>

"Do you...do you want to continue with the treatment?" Scorpius asked, closing the book in his hands.

"No...I" Albus walked straight to his own bed with haste. "I think I'll do it myself tonight, if that's alright with you." he said, incapable of looking at Scorpius.

"Oh...Alright then...the potions are there" said Scorpius pointing at two flasks on top of the bedside table. "And that's the cream, remember to... rub it in circular motions..." he trailed off, looking sad and worried. He put the Potions book on the table and slipped under the covers of his bed quickly.

Albus grabbed the flasks and the cream and for the first time did everything alone. He then took off his shirt and stepped into his bed without saying another word.

The room went completely silent for a couple of seconds.

"Al..." Scorpius finally said in the darkness of the room, before Albus could fall asleep.

"Yeah?" Asked Albus. Scorpius stayed silent for a while.

"It was only a kiss, it didn't mean anything...Don't worry about it...it won't happen again" he said finally. Albus' body tensed at the mention of the kiss, but quickly he relaxed again. The words that Scorpius pronounced were like medicine to his troubled mind. He was right, it was nothing, it didn't mean anything. It was Scorpius after all, the boy who's eyes made him feel secure and safe. Who he trusted now, who was his _friend._

Albus closed his eyes as he felt the potions slowly work in his body. Everything would be alright.

* * *

><p>The next day dawned cold and cloudy, and Albus spent almost the entire day mounted on his broomstick, flying around the pitch to get back into shape. He didn't feel any awkwardness towards Scorpius anymore, as they had breakfast together and studied a bit of Charms before the Quidditch practice. It was almost completely thanks to Scorpius' ability to make everything seem irrelevant. Scorpius had a way to get to him like no else.<p>

By nightfall they walked together to the dormitories talking about the Charms homework, and once they reached their beds, Scorpius automatically started working on the Potions. They talked about girls, and their families, and Quidditch until Scorpius finally finished the potions and the cream. He then gave the flasks to Albus, but he hesitated when he grabbed the cream. He looked at Albus but didn't say a word. Finally he sighed and handed the small bowl to Albus. But the boy hesitated too. The idea of Scorpius massaging his head had suddenly become rather awkward, and it made his mouth go dry. Be he was determined to make this work; he wanted them to be just like before, so he didn't receive the bowl. "Would you mind doing it tonight?" he asked instead, trying to keep calm and sound nonchalant.

Scorpius' face didn't change. He looked serious, but inside he was hating Albus. The boy made everything so difficult.

"Why?" Scorpius asked, dropping his hands slowly.

"I...I didn't like it when I applied it to myself. My hands got all sticky and oily." replied Albus, sounding very unconvincing.

Scorpius frowned and twitched his lips looking annoyed, but obliged. He grabbed a bit of cream and divided it evenly between his hands. He then proceeded to start massaging Albus' temples with it, slowly and tenderly, while making sure he didn't make eye contact.

"So umm...how was Quidditch today?" asked Scorpius, watching Albus' sides carefully.

"Great! I think I'm back in full shape, and professor Vector said our next match will be soon, so I'm excited" Albus said rising his hands in the air to make a triumphant gesture. But when he lay his hands down again, one of his hands came to rest on Scorpius' knee. Albus didn't notice, trapped in his own thoughts, but Scorpius flinched and felt a rush of heat travel to his groin. This was proving to be much more difficult than he expected. He couldn't just ignore the feelings he had for Albus, he couldn't just pretend that they were friends, and as lust and anger blended together in his mind, he finished hastily and jumped from Albus' side and stepping into his own bed.

"err...'night?" said Albus, a bit confused by Scorpius' sudden behavior. But Scorpius didn't answer. Albus ignored it and took off his shirt, drifting away to sleep quickly like every night.

* * *

><p>Scorpius woke up in the middle of the night. The room was cold and dark, and for a while he didn't know what had awoken him. He stood silent for a while, with his eyes open and his head still resting on his pillow. Suddenly he heard someone whispering.<p>

"S..." came a voice from outside his curtains. He realized it sounded more like a choke than a whisper

"Scor..Scorp..." he bolted upwards when he realized the voice was calling his name. And he could recognize that voice, even if it sounded husky and silent. It was Albus.

Scorpius slid his curtains open and through the light coming from the window he could see Albus' silhouette moving in erratic and aggressive motions, laying on his back.

"Sc...S..." came his voice again. Scorpius body turned cold with fear as he jumped out of his bed and walked next to Albus. The boy wasn't sleeping, his eyes were wide open, but Scorpius noted they didn't look at all like Albus' usual colour. Even in the dead of night he could see that Albus' eyes were as black as coal. They looked dark and lifeless and completely lost. The boy panted and moved a bit like he was having a heart attack. The fear grew inside Scorpius when he touched Albus and realized the boy was incredibly warm. His hand stumbled upon many things trying to find his wand by the bedside table, dropping down everything on it's way until he finally found it.

"L...L..._Lumus_!" he muttered, stuttering and having difficulty to speak. His mouth was dry and his desperation clouded his judgement.

"Shhh..Al...Shh...w..wait" he mumbled, trying to calm Albus down with his shaking hand, he ran towards his own bed and crouched, trying to find the medicine book that he kept hidden under the bed. He finally found it and opened it on the Mandrose treatment chapter. His hands moved aggressively through the words, shaking more than ever, while Albus made choking sounds on his bed. Scorpius read through the words, trying to find a way to stop what he knew was an overflow of blood because of the treatment. In his terror he ripped the page off the book and walked with it to sit next to Albus. He reached under Albus' bed a took the black bag that Albus hid under his own bed. He found some dry Mandrake roots and a clean bowl. He put the roots in the bowl and conjured an _Aquamenti _spell to moist them. His shaking hand grabbed the roots and put them in Albus' mouth, trying his best not to give in to panic.

"Come on, Al...Just...eat them...please!" he begged, and Albus obliged, he couldn't stop moving, but opened his mouth and swallowed with difficulty.

"Oh please...please..." mumbled Scorpius. He ripped a piece of his own white shirt and soaked it in the water. Then he wrapped it around Albus' head while he conjured a spell that was mentioned in the page that he held in his hand.

"C..C'mon Al...please!" Scorpius' words sounding weak in the cold room. His voiced cracked as he grabbed Albus by the chest and tried to make him sit, hugging him tightly against his own body. He felt like he was about to cry, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak.

"Al..." he whispered. Albus still moved aggressively and his wide dark eyes frightened Scorpius, who started massaging Albus' temples to reduce the overflow.

Slowly Albus' body started relaxing and his eyes started closing. Scorpius didn't know whether this was good or terrible, but as he noticed that the boy's body started to cool down, he sighed heavily with immense relief. He held Albus in his arms tight for a couple of seconds, while the terror drained from his body, leaving him with exhaustion. he felt weak and tired, so he lay Albus on the bed again, and put his own head on Albus' chest.

"_I'll just stay here for a while, and then I'll go back to bed"_ he thought, worried that Albus may suffer another attack. This Mandrose treatment had been a terrible idea, and he didn't want to relive this disastrous situation again. His arms still wrapped around Albus' body loosened a bit as exhaustion took over him completely. Albus' chest was so comfortable and his smell made Scorpius feel more and more relaxed, until he finally slip away in sleep, surrendering to fatigue, with his head resting on Albus' strong chest that moved slowly and normally again.

* * *

><p>Albus woke up in the morning feeling his head throbbing. He also felt a weight to his left, and a nice smell. He looked to his side and found a head with beautiful blond hair resting on his shoulder. The hair reached his own face and tickled his nose. He recognized Scorpius immediately, and as soon as he did, he also remembered what happened last night. He remember bits of the night, like waking up in the middle of the night with his head vibrating and feeling like it was about to explode. He remembered trying to call Scorpius and also the boy giving him some kind of food. He knew something really bad had happened, and thanked that Scorpius had been there to help him. Somehow it didn't feel strange at all to have Scorpius' body laying next to him like this, so he wrapped his own arms around the boy in an act of fondness. It felt good, and he didn't know why, but he also didn't want to think too much about it. He just lay in bed for a while, waiting for Scorpius to wake up, the proximity of the boy making his body warm and comfortable.<p>

"Potter, honestly, will you ever wake–" came Henric's angry voice as he slid Albus' curtains open suddenly. He lost his voice and his mouth dropped to the ground as he found Albus laying next to Scorpius, shirtless and hugging him. They both looked flushed and tired, and Scorpius' shirt was completely torn.

"Oh... My... God" was all he said, unable to dart his eyes away from Albus and Scorpius. Albus realized what he was thinking and embarrassment and terror filled his body.

"You...him...WHAT?" shouted Henric, as his surprised face broke into a huge smirk, and he started laughing uncontrollably. The sound of his mad burst of laughter awoke Scorpius and Albus jumped out of the bed, grabbing Henric by the shirt.

"It's not what you think! Listen." he said frantically.

"Oh, Potter, this is gold! Wait till everyone hears about this! This is absolute _gold!_" said Henric, while laughing incredibly hard. Albus' body filled with terror, knowing that Henric would tell everyone what he thought he saw, whatever that was.

"No...listen, if you tell ANYONE I swear..." said Albus, grabbing Henric tightly by the shirt with his most threatening voice.

"Calm down...calm down Potter" said Henric, trying to suppress his laughter. "I'm not telling anyone...not for free at least. And this story is worth Millions, I tell you." he said, freeing himself from Albus' grip and walking out of the room, but before he left, he turned around.

"Oh, by the way, it's almost time to go to class, so get ready both of you, lovebirds." he said, stifling a giggle, and with that he turned around and left.

Scorpius started going through his clothes without looking at Albus. He knew the boy would be fuming and stressed during the whole day thinking about what Henric might say.

"Hey...don't worry, it's not like we were actually doing anything, right?" he said finally, trying to calm Albus down. But Albus didn't respond. He just put on his clothes and left the room heading towards the Great Hall, leaving Scorpius alone in the room.

* * *

><p>Albus sat next to Tom, who was seating next to Henric. The level of stress Albus was feeling now was unnatural. He couldn't stand watching Henric open his mouth, fearing what he might say. He poured some porridge into his bowl and started eating while Tom talked to him about a dream he had last night.<p>

"Hey, Bletch, guess what I saw earlier today..." said Henric, smirking while looking from Tom to Albus. Albus' body tensed and he looked at him dangerously, but tried to remain calm and put a spoonful of porridge in his mouth.

"I found Potter and Malfoy shagging in my old bed!" Henric said, looking at Tom. Albus choked on the porridge and started coughing.

"What?" asked Tom, half amused.

"Yeah, Potter and Malfoy, they were– Ouch" said Henric as Albus kicked him under the table. This made Tom even more suspicious.

"Really, Al?"

"No!" shouted Albus, trying to control himself.

"Well, then explain why you were all cuddly and hugging, and shirtless. Oh and let's not forget Scorpius' completely destroyed shirt. Merlin Potter, I didn't know you were so aggressive in bed!" said Henric, with a teasing tone and a malevolent smirk.

"So you didn't _see_ them actually shag?" asked Tom, more interested than ever in the subject. Albus was feeling completely appalled.

"Well, technically no. It was minutes after, I suppose. They were all flushed, and looked really tired, but Potter had a huge smile on his face, like his eyes were shining. And he was hugging Malfoy, who was sleeping on Albus' chest. Like a married couple!" said Henric.

"Shut up!" shouted Albus, now starting to get really angry.

"So it's true?" asked Tom, now looking at Albus.

"Well...no...I mean yes, we fell asleep on the same bed, but...it's not what you think!" He said.

"Then what were you doing? Why was he on your bed?" pressed Tom, looking confused.

"We..." Albus remembered that nobody knew about the treatment, and it was dangerous to tell anyone about it. "We...forget it, you wouldn't understand." he said finally.

"Please, Henric...I swear to you that we didn't do anything, but please don't say anything. I'll give you anything. You can have the bed back if you want." pleaded Albus, applying his knowledge of Slytherins to buy Henric's silence. Henric thought about it.

"I want to keep your bed, Potter, forever." he said finally. Albus looked confused at such a tiny request.

"And that's it? you just want to keep that bed forever? and you'll keep the secret?"

"yeah...at least until someone offers me what I think this story is worth, and that's a lot of galleons. I like the position of this new bed, and I prefer being next to Bletch than Malfoy to be honest." Albus looked at him with suspicion, but finally extended his arm to shake hands. He knew Tom wouldn't say anything, because they were friends, and even if he didn't trust him, he knew Tom wouldn't talk if Albus didn't want him to.

* * *

><p>"What happened last night?" Albus asked Scorpius during lunch that same day.<p>

"I think you had an overflow of blood, because the potions couldn't find injuries, so the blood stayed in your head. We warned you that the treatment was dangerous. You could have died there." Said Scorpius, eyeing Albus worriedly.

"But I didn't, so don't fret" replied Albus, who felt better and far more relaxed than a couple of hours ago.f

"Yeah, and it means that your E.D.E is completely healed now. So it's The End of the treatment. We should have a toast over that." replied Scorpius, smiling at Albus.

"Really? So I'm healed now? The treatment's over?" Asked Albus with excitement.

"Yeah, I suppose. That's the only explanation to your episode last night. So no more potions or creams." replied Scorpius.

They ate lunch together and after that they went to Transfiguration classes, still ignoring the strength that pulled them together and made their bodies shiver at every touch


	11. Aleabar Seeds

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: This chapter contains Mature content in more ways than slash, but this fanfic has been rated M for a long time, so meh. Hope you like it! Took me a while to describe certain situations, English not being my main language and all, so if you find any mistake please do tell!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**Aleabar Seeds**

The last week of November was a torture for Albus, the main problem being that the Mandrose Treatment had affected his ability to fall asleep. During the last weeks he'd just done it because of the potions, and now his body felt unable to just shut down on it's own accord, like some kind of drug dependence. He struggled at night, rolling from one side to the other, waiting for his body to finally give in, but it proved harder than he thought. He was sleeping barely two hours a night, and even if he spent the whole day practicing Quidditch, at night he'd still feel completely awake.

Scorpius felt bad for him, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Giving him something to fall asleep would just increase the problem in the long term, so it was up to Albus' body to recover its sleeping routine.

By the first days of December his mood had dropped dangerously low, the sleepless nights making his body feel tired and jumpy during classes. He was barely learning anything, and kept making excuses for falling asleep in the middle of the lesson. Scorpius felt powerless watching Albus sleeping during the lessons and frustrated over his poor performance at Quidditch. He wanted to do something for him, but didn't know what to do without affecting him further in a negative way or getting too close, letting the boy discover his true feelings towards him.

That night Albus felt particularly frustrated for not being able to sleep. He kept rolling around, grumbling and muttering under his breath, but Scorpius couldn't sleep either. He felt useless for not being able to help Albus. It was weird because he had never cared about anyone before. He wandered through life doing his thing and forgetting about everyone else, but for the first time he felt like there was someone worth helping.

He listened to Albus roll around and complain for about an hour, until he finally decided to do something about it.

"Merlin, Al, could you shut up?" he said, in a throaty whisper. Knowing that Albus wouldn't be able to ignore him. The boy immediately stopped moving.

"I can't sleep, _I Can't. Fucking. Sleep_, Scorp" he said, making emphasis on each of his words, while poking his head out of the curtains.

Scorpius could see that Albus wasn't wearing his shirt.

"Like literally, I can't, for the life of me, drift off to sleep. It's frustrating!" he said, looking at Scorpius with an exasperated look. He sighed and let himself fall back to his bed.

Scorpius quickly jumped off his bed and climbed on Albus' one. Albus didn't realize it until Scorpius was already sitting on the bed with his legs crossed.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sitting on the bed.

"I'm tired of hearing you whine, I know a technique to make you fall asleep." Scorpius replied, with a mysterious smirk on his face.

"Alright, lets's see it then..." said Albus, sounding challenging. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Scorpius to do something.

"You must lay down, with your head on your pillow."

"O...k..." Albus lay back down. "Do I have to close my eyes too?" he asked.

"No, That's not necessary..." replied Scorpius. He moved to the side of Albus, still sitting on the bed, and raised his hands.

"Ready?"

"Just do it, Scorp!"

Scorpius moved one hand with his index and middle fingers raised towards Albus and poked him right in the neck, aiming just above the shoulders.

Albus flinched a bit at the strike, but he lay quite still. He waited a couple of seconds, looking from one side to the other. Finally his eyes rested on Scorpius' face and he smiled.

"You're an idiot" he said, stifling a giggle.

Scorpius had never seen a smile as beautiful as that one, and he thought that it was worth it, everything was worth a smile from Albus. Scorpius smiled too, his heart swelled and warm with love.

"At least I gave it a try" he said, shrugging with a huge smile on his face.

"You call that a try? I think I'm more awake now than before!" replied Albus, sitting on the bed. Scorpius couldn't help but to laugh at that.

"Shu'up!" came an annoyed voice from outside the curtains. Scorpius muffled his laughter covering his mouth with a hand, which made Albus laugh too.

Once they both stopped laughing, Albus twitched his lip and looked at Scorpius again.

"So what now?"

"I don't know, I can't sleep either" replied Scorpius, trying to come up with something to do, and suddenly an idea came to him.

"I know! I wanna try something I saw a while ago in a book, while I was making some research for the Mandrose treatment." he said excitedly. Albus just looked a him with his face a bit tilted to the side, looking confused.

"You'll see..." he said, and with that he jumped out of the bed and walked around the dark room looking for something inside one of the cabinets. When he came back to the bed he was carrying a goblet and a bowl. He took the black bag from under Albus' bed and started looking for a specific plant.

"Aha!" he said triumphantly, as he took a handful of round seeds the size of small marbles. He put the seeds in the bowl and started crushing.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked Albus, fearing his friend had completely lost his mind, brewing some kind of potion in the middle of the night.

"I read a couple of days ago in a book, that these seeds, _Aleabar _seed, can cause strange reactions when consumed. Obviously it's all safe, don't worry. I want to see what happens if we eat them." finished Scorpius, filling the goblet with an _Aquamenti _charm.

"Are you sure this is...safe? Is it...legal?" asked Albus, weary.

"Of course it's illegal, but who cares, they're completely harmless. Probably we'll just feel lighter and more relaxed. It may even help us fall asleep!" said Scorpius.

"Oh...Alright...Let's...Let's try them then" said Albus, excitement build up in his body already. He knew that with Scorpius he could be reckless and not worry about being caught.

Scorpius genuinely didn't know what the exact effects were, but he felt reckless and excited, so he picked a handful of the crushed seeds and put them in his mouth, swallowing them with the help of the water. He then passed the goblet to Albus, who did the same, but the dark haired boy grabbed a bigger amount, just to prove who was braver.

The seeds felt incredibly dry and they tasted like soil. The water helped Albus swallow them. They didn't taste horrible, but they made his tongue dry afterwards. He waited a couple of seconds, but nothing happened.

"What's supposed to happen now?" he asked.

"I don't know, just wait a moment and we'll see." replied Scorpius, who immediately grabbed his wand and cast a _Muffliato _spell around the bed, just in case.

Albus waited patiently for five minutes, looking alternately at Scorpius, the bed covers, and the tester above him.

"I don't feel anything..." he said finally, after about eight minutes, feeling disappointed.

"Just...Merlin Al, you're so impatient!" replied Scorpius.

But this time everything sounded different. Suddenly Albus felt like something shifted in his head. A small buzzing sound in the depth of his brain made everything sound distorted. Words sounded incoherent and distant in his ears, and watching Scorpius move his mouth unable to understand what he was saying felt incredibly funny, and suddenly he started to laugh.

"Are you laughing at me?" asked Scorpius, crossing his arms over his chest. This made Albus chuckle even more, unable to understand what was so funny. Scorpius' face couldn't stay angry for long though, and within seconds he started laughing too.

Both boys felt like they had a ball of air in their bellies that made them laugh freely, unable to contain themselves even if they tried. Albus then realized that the buzzing in his head kept going, he felt lighter, and soon everything became distorted. he could see the curtains moving slowly in waves, twisting in weird angles. Everything slowed down, like they were in slow motion, and Scorpius' body moved closer, giggling.

"Shh...Shush...Al...You'll wake...ev..." he was trying to say, unable to form a full sentence due to his giggles. Scorpius tried to put his index finger on Albus' lips, signaling to stay quiet, but the strange sensation of being floating and the laughter made it impossible to keep his finger still, which made it hover all around Albus' lips, and then enter his mouth, which spawned an even more exaggerated burst of giggles from the dark-haired boy.

"What are you doing?" asked Albus laughing with Scorpius' finger still in his mouth. Scorpius laughed at the sight of the whole situation, and unable to stop giggling he crashed his face against Albus' right shoulder, trying to muffle his stupid giggles.

Scorpius' nose was pressed against Albus' naked shoulder, and with a sniff he could sense the boy's delicious and characteristic smell. He felt light and reckless, like this was nothing but a dream without consequences.

"You know what would be even more funny?...If we kissed" Scorpius blurted out, between chuckles. This made Albus start giggling again, thinking that it was incredibly funny.

"Why...would we do that?" he said between snorts, looking down at Scorpius, but before his body could react, Scorpius' lips crashed against his in an aggressive kiss. They both opened their mouths automatically, still laughing. The giggles reverberated in their throats. Albus realized that his senses were incredibly augmented. He could feel each millimeter were his lips touched Scorpius, and the sheets under his body, and the texture of the clothes stuck to his body. Scorpius slid his tongue inside Albus' mouth to reach each corner, causing explosions of sensations around Albus' whole body. he felt like he was floating in absolute bliss. Everything felt distant, like a dream; like he and Scorpius were together in a parallel universe, apart from everyone else, where the only thing that mattered was increasing this overwhelming arousal that already threatened to choke him. But he wan't laughing anymore as he felt his body falling backwards to the bed with Scorpius' body on top, kissing him and touching his chest. Albus just wanted more of this, and as the buzzing sensation increased, so did his arousal. He started touching Scorpius, lifting his shirt and throwing it to the side, feeling the boy's pale and warm body crash firmly against his.

"You know what would be even more funny?" he asked against Scorpius' mouth, touching the pale boy all over his naked torso.

"Hmm?" replied Scorpius with a groan coming from his throat. This time both moved rhythmically, grinding against each other.

"If you sucked me off..." said Albus, feeling as the words escaped his mouth without second thoughts, without conscience or filter, and once the words were spoken a rush of thrill and expectation dominated him, holding his breath until Scorpius finally answered. "Well, maybe I'll do it" he said, giggling against Albus' wet and red mouth. He slowly started pressing soft kisses from Albus' cheek downwards, his wet lips touching Albus' neck, shoulders, and breathing hotly over one of his nipples.

At that moment Albus had a ephemeral recovery of conscience, like going back up for some air before diving deep again.

"What am I doing?" he whispered half-heartedly, feeling the exquisite sensation of Scorpius' lips all over his naked body. He arched his back towards the blonde's face as he pondered the situation. It was definitely not normal, having another boy touching him like that, but somehow it felt so_ right_, like it was what he always wanted. He closed his eyes as the buzzing in his head increased it's volume, pushing the thoughts to a dark corner of his mind, and had to moan lowly as complete ecstasy took over him. He felt like he was rotating in space, floating high and disconnected from gravity, and shame, and reality. He only felt Scorpius' sweet and hot lips sending bolts of electricity as they travelled south at an excruciatingly slow pace. The darkness of his shut eyes was dyed with sparkles of different colours as the blonde's mouth licked just below his belly button, and grabbed the waistband of his sleeping trousers to pull them down.

_This is it_, Albus thought as he raised his hips to allow the trousers go down to his knees, exposing his hard cock. He dared to open his eyes to see what Scorpius was doing, feeling dizzy as his mind recovered conscience of the physical world. He saw Scorpius stare at Albus' prick with absolute amazement, and then grab it and gently stroke it twice. The sensation was almost unbearable, and Albus had to shut his eyes again, giving in to the dazzling sensation building in his stomach.

Scorpius had never done it before, but he felt a buzzing in his head, and a drumming in his ears, and his whole body was tense with arousal and excitement, realizing that this was Albus' cock, and he wanted nothing more than to please the boy. He finally lowered his mouth towards the head of Albus' rigid cock and slowly licked the drops of pre-cum right at the top. Albus moaned loudly, feeling like he could come right there, but he wanted the feeling to last. He grabbed the sheets with one hands as the other came to rest on Scorpius' hair.

Scorpius then proceeded to take Albus in his mouth, feeling the throbbing prick against his tongue and the unfamiliar taste of pre-come going down his throat. He worked his mouth up and down the length of Albus' cock, each time sucking deeper as Albus fisted the sheets and moaned as he approached the point of no return.

Suddenly Albus was pushing his hips forward, unable to contain himself, fucking Scorpius' mouth uncontrollably, making it hard for Scorpius not to gag as almost the full length of Albus' prick went inside his mouth, trying to match the dark-haired boy's rhythm as the drumming beats in his ears increased their strength. He could smell Albus' scent more clearly than ever, feeling the boy's hand moving roughly against his hair and his prick inside his hot mouth.

"I'm...I'm going to..." cried Albus, louder than ever, but he didn't care because the feeling far surpassed his wildest fantasies. The buzzing transformed into a loud beeping sound as his cock left Scorpius' mouth and he came in thick splatters all over his naked chest, feeling strong spasms take over his body. Scorpius' teary eyes caught sight of this and it was enough to push him off edge, coming inside his pajamas without even touching himself. He moaned and groaned loudly, pressing his fingers into Albus' naked stomach and closing his eyes while the orgasm lasted.

Scorpius let himself fall over Albus, he managed to grab his wand and cast a cleaning spell before settling himself comfortably beside Albus, with his head on the boy's shoulder. Both boys felt the buzzing still, feeling like they were floating in the middle of nothingness, quickly consumed by a drowsy sensation, slipping away into sleep.

"We'll regret this tomorrow" breathed Albus, with his eyes closed and his head resting against Scorpius'.

"I know..." whispered Scorpius, before both finally gave in and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning Scorpius woke up before everybody else in the room. He felt his throat sore and raspy, and he could remember vaguely what had happened last night. There were blurry memories, but he had a general idea of the whole situation. "<em>Fuck...<em>" was all he could whisper, as he realized he was laying next to Albus, who had his pants down, revealing his flaccid member. He reached down and pulled the boy's pants back up, making him awake from his slumber. But before he could fully come back to consciousness, Scorpius jumped out of the bed and walked to the showers without looking back.

"_Fuck..._" whispered Albus, covering his face with his hands, as the memories from last night flooded back to him.

* * *

><p>Albus found Scorpius having breakfast alone at the end of the Slytherin table. He built up his courage and walked towards him, sitting across the table.<p>

"Wha...what happened last night..."

"I don't remember what happened last night" said Scorpius quickly, looking at Albus directly in the eyes. He was good at lying, and he knew it. So he concentrated all of his energy to make Albus believe it. "I just remember us eating the seeds, and then...I just remember waking up in your bed...curious huh?"

"Really? you...don't remember anything?" asked Albus, completely falling for it.

"No...do you?" asked Scorpius, raising his eyebrows while taking another bite of his toast, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"No, I...no..." replied Albus, doubt covering his whole face. He was a terrible liar, and his weary eyes betrayed him. But Scorpius played along.

"Oh...alright then. let's go to classes, we're gonna be late" he said. Albus just looked at him, surprised and confused.

"...alright..." he said.

Albus wanted to believe that Scorpius genuinely didn't remember anything from last night, but the longer he thought about it, the less sense it made. He had eaten more seeds than Scorpius, and he could still remember everything, so it didn't make any sense for Scorpius to suddenly forget everything. He realized that Scorpius was trying to pretend it didn't happen, and it made Albus feel weird, and uncomfortable next to him.

Albus knew that last night they had crossed the line. A line that he didn't even knew existed until he tasted Scorpius' lips for the first time. And now the panic attacks grew stronger, so for the next week he didn't speak to Scorpius again, until it was time to go home for Christmas holidays.


	12. New Territory

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! As usual if you find any misspelling or impossibly incoherent sentences, please do tell me. _

_This chapter contains mature content so if you're not a fan, don't read._

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**New Territory**

Being away from Scorpius proved to be even harder than Albus initially expected. There were nights where he wouldn't be able to sleep, thinking about the blonde's hot mouth hovering over his body, and he'd have to wank furiously in the middle of the night before being able to doze off.

But what made everything even harder was the fact that Albus began to understand the real extent of his feelings towards Scorpius. He'd preferred to remain oblivious to this revelation, to stay confused forever and never face the truth that was now so clear inside his head: He liked Scorpius in a way that wasn't just friendship. He wanted Scorpius' body, and the touch of their skin and the soft brush of their lips. But what terrified him the most was that it wasn't just sexual. In just over a month that boy became his best friend and so much more, and It was stupid and ridiculous how his heart rate increased at the thought of Scorpius' eyes, or his smile, or his smell. And he could feel himself falling deeper into the abyss of his emotions. And Albus didn't understand how it all happened and he felt like an idiot. One moment Scorpius was just another roommate and the next, he'd become his whole world, and the source of all his fantasies. To the point where he spent almost every waking hour thinking of him, and his father had to snap him out of it several times a day, genuinely worried for his son's mental health, asking him if he was fine.

No, Albus wasn't fine. He wasn't sure he would be able to hide his feelings for long, and he wondered how many days it would take for people to start noticing his odd behavior. He dared not think what his father would do if he knew, or worse: how would James react. The pure thought of it made a rush of panic spread through his body like wildfire.

It wasn't fair, honestly, for Albus to constantly have to be careful and calculate his every move so the newspaper wouldn't have anything to write about him. It was unfair that he had to be so careful everyday while the other students could go around getting drunk or having fun without the fear of being in the cover of a magazine. And now it would be even harder, because there was one more thing to hide.

He didn't want to be with Scorpius; he didn't want to be called a _poof_, or a _queer_. He wanted to be just like everybody else, and above all he wanted to do well in his next Quidditch match, but he couldn't focus on anything really, and the pressure of everything was about to drive him mad.

* * *

><p>As Scorpius sat at the Slytherin table to have some dinner after the long train ride back to Hogwarts, he scanned the hall looking for Albus. He hadn't talked to the boy in about two weeks now, and it was getting harder and harder to stand the distance. He thought about sending him a letter during the holidays, but every attempt at a decent letter ended up thrown away in the corner of his bedroom. And he thought that even if he sent it, it would still get lost in the hundreds of Fan Mail that the Potters probably received daily, so it wasn't worthy after all.<p>

He soon heard the excited chattering of some younger witches in front of him, and he knew that Albus was now in the Great Hall. He scanned the room carefully until he spotted the familiar green eyes and dark hair sitting beside his cousin at the Gryffindor table. Scorpius sighed, feeling Albus so far away and unreachable that he lost his complete interest in what Thomas was saying next to him.

Thomas followed Scorpius' gaze and as he noticed what the boy was looking at, he stopped.

"You alright?" he asked, wrapping one arm around Scorpius' shoulders.

"Yeah" Scorpius answered, knowing that it was a lie, but the truth was far too complicated for Thomas to understand.

When Albus finally entered their bedroom, it was already very late, and most of the boys were sleeping. Scorpius was lying on his bed trying to fall asleep, but his heart jumped to his mouth as he saw Albus walk past him and sit on the bed beside him.

"Hi" Albus said as they locked gazes, with a weak smile on his face.

"Hey, how was your holiday?" Scorpius said awkwardly, thinking of something to say, ignoring his brain's desire to scream so many things along the lines of "_I-missed-you-so-much-and-I-never-want-to-leave-your-side-again"._

"It was alright, you?" Asked Albus, slipping inside the duvets.

"Same... Well, 'night" Scorpius replied, turning around with the fear that he might let slip something stupid and corny and honest.

"Night." replied Albus, as he turned off the light from his wand.

Neither of them spoke for a while, until finally Albus cracked and spoke.

"Why didn't you owl me?" he whispered, turning around to face Scorpius. And as the blonde's heart fell to the floor, he pretended to be asleep and didn't say anything.

Albus stayed silent, waiting for an answer. Finally he gave up and turned around again, trying as hard as he could to fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Albus woke up lying on his back, sweaty and panting as the dream involving a certain blond boy ended abruptly. He shut his eyes tightly, feeling his erection over sensitive and ready to spill. The lighting of the room told him that probably everyone was still asleep, so he reached down and closed his hand around his painfully hard prick. It took him just two quick strokes to come inside his pants, hot and messy, with a quiet rasp of his breath.<p>

"Fuck" he muttered quietly, out of both the pleasure of his release and the anger towards his mind, unyielding in it's reckless desires.

"_How am I supposed to look at him when I wank thinking about him every fucking day!" _he thought as he collected his clothes and walked to the showers.

* * *

><p>The morning passed slowly. Albus sat beside Scorpius during the first module, but didn't talk to him, feeling like he could get hard just by looking at the blonde's face. Scorpius didn't talk to Albus either, unable to understand where their friendship stood. True, they had done some pretty extreme things that night with the Aleabar seeds, and he couldn't quite believe he had had the nerve to suck Albus' dick, but it all had been in a pretty distorted state so it all seemed like some sort of dream, which, at least for Scorpius, didn't make it so real.<p>

And at this point Scorpius was starting to get pissed off. He wanted to know what was going on inside Albus' head, if he was going to continue ignoring him or if they would sort things out.

During lunch Scorpius sat beside Thomas, and as he started to eat he noticed Albus approaching. He stared at him until Albus noticed Scorpius' presence, and his face became one of sheer terror. He turned around and started walking the opposite direction. But Scorpius was not having it anymore.

"Al!" he shouted through the Hall, noticing many heads turn to face them.

Albus stopped abruptly and turned to look back.

"Yeah?" he tried to sound casual, but Scorpius could hear the notes of insecurity in his voice.

"What do you mean, _Yeah?_, you know exactly what I'm going to say." Scorpius replied, walking forward and crossing his arms around his chest. Albus couldn't fake the peaceful stare for long, and soon his façade fell to reveal the terror he actually felt. He gulped and started walking away from Scorpius again. Scorpius followed him through the corridors, trying to reach him.

"What the fuck, Potter? seriously, how old are you?" he said, pushing people in front of him while trying to grab Albus by the shirt.

"Al, this is bloody ridiculous!" he kept saying as they walked through more deserted corridors, until Albus entered an empty classroom in an unfamiliar part of the castle.

"Al, what is your problem?" shot Scorpius, now beginning to lose his temper.

"You are my problem, Scorp!" Albus replied, as he turned around to face Scorpius with a furious expression. "You are fucking up my life!"

Scorpius felt the blow of those words, but he noticed they weren't filled with anger, but frustration, so he decided to approach in a more friendly way.

"Al, what are you talking about?" he said, and Albus looked at him straight in the eyes. Those pale silver eyes that pierced right through his mask.

"You...I just feel so..." he lost his train of thought as he looked at Scorpius' eyes.

"So what?" Scorpius pressed.

Albus felt confused. Looking at Scorpius was hard enough, and feeling him so close was even harder, and he just wanted to kiss him, and touch him and forget about everything.

"It's...It's your bloody fault, Scorp!, for getting weird thoughts inside my head! I don't have time for this nonsense."

"Al, you're not making any sense" Scorpius said, anxiety and confusion filling him.

Albus started getting really pissed off at Scorpius' reaction. He seemed to be so peaceful and nonchalant about this whole situation that it was destroying Albus. He walked firmly towards Scorpius, standing barely a couple of inches apart. He could feel Scorpius breath become more erratic, and for a second he saw Scorpius's eyes dart towards Albus's lips, and then he couldn't stand it any longer.

He grabbed Scorpius by the robes and crashed his lips against the blonde's in a furious motion. The other boy stood paralyzed for a couple of seconds, before realizing what was happening. Finally he raised his arms and grabbed Albus's head with both hands, touching his hair, and gave in to the kiss, twisting his head and parting his lips to allow Albus deepen the kiss, his tongue exploring the insides of the boy's mouth. Albus walked forward without breaking the kiss, until Scorpius's back crashed against a desk. He climbed awkwardly on the table and opened his legs to allow Albus move closer between them, now both their growing erections crashing furiously.

This was pure bliss, thought Albus absently. It felt so right, so scary and amazing, how Scorpius had almost the same strength as he, and the movements and kisses were furious and aggressive. With girls he had always restrained himself, afraid of hurting them, afraid of loosing control. But with Scorpius everything was explosive, instinctive. He started moving his hips with strong and firm strokes, while Scorpius let go a low groan through their crashing lips and teeth. Albus had never felt this way before, It was borderlining physical aggression, how Scorpius's fingers pierced his ribs while making their way beneath his shirt and bit his lower lip recklessly; how they grinded against each other with all of their strength; how their mouths crashed and their teeth clicked in what seemed more a fight than a kiss.

Albus's erratic movements forward grew more urgent by the second, his hard cock in an awkward position rubbing against Scorpius' body, with each stroke faster than the last one, both their pricks feeling each other and grinding through the fabric. Albus grabbed the blonde's hair in one hand, while the other pierced with his nails into Scorpius's thigh. Finally, with a final violent push of his hips, he opened his mouth and cried a muffled scream against Scorpius's lips as he came inside his pants, and his flushed face was enough to push Scorpius to the edge too, who came barely a couple of seconds later, closing his eyes in a groan, resting his forehead against Albus' shoulder and biting his neck out of the intensity of his orgasm. The strength of each push of the hips lessening gradually, until the spasms finally subdued and both boys came to a full stop.

They stood quite still for a minute, panting, slowly regaining enough energy. Albus muttered a quick cleaning spell directed to his pants, and Scorpius copied the motion to his own.

Albus gave a step backward, but Scorpius held him tight by the hips.

"Don't you dare run away now..." he hissed, while his lips pressed against Albus' neck.

But Albus was stronger, so he jerked away easily and walked out of the room quickly, while straightening his shirt and combing his hair. Scorpius just let out an annoyed groan, and cursed Albus silently, _"why did I have to fall for the most childish, immature little prat at school?" _he muttered as he walked out of the classroom behind Albus.

* * *

><p>Albus entered the dormitories opening the door angrily, the green room was empty except for Tom, who was practicing some spell with his pillow in a corner. Albus ignored him and walked to his own bed, sitting on the edge and covering his face with both hands.<p>

Just a couple of seconds later he felt a weight beside him, and a familiar arm go around his shoulders.

"You alright mate?" asked Tom, who was looking at Albus with concern.

"I'm fine" Albus replied, looking at Tom, trying to sound casual. Tom sighed heavily and stood right there, unwilling to move.

"Is it about Malfoy?" he asked after a while. This took Albus completely by surprise, and he looked back at him with a confused stare.

"What?" was all he managed to say, his hands raised and open in front of him.

"Listen Al, s'alright, I've known you for years, and you've never been able to trust me with your problems. But I still worry 'bout you, and I've become used to figuring them out by meself. So don't think I'll buy into that half-assed '_i'm fine_' pantomime, I'm not some bloody Hufflepuff, am I?"

Albus chuckled at this, thinking that after all Tom really was a great friend.

"I can see how you look at Malfoy" he continued, "and how he looks at you too, if I may add. I've seen how close you two have become. You like him, don't you?" Tom blurted out in that straight-forward and matter-of-factly fashion that was so typical of him.

Albus wondered what to say for a moment, he wanted to trust Tom, because he needed someone to talk to after all, and he supposed that Tom was the best alternative.

"I..." he began, but Tom didn't let him finish.

"And he fancies you."

"I don't–"

"That wasn't a question, I'm just telling you" replied Tom, looking at Albus with a half smile. It was weird and awkward for Albus to be talking to him about this. Tom was probably the most heterosexual bloke he knew, but somehow he seemed completely nonchalant about this.

"Aren't you mad, that I never told you?" he asked, unable to contain himself. Tom just chuckled.

"Honestly, mate, when have you ever told me something?" he said with a grin. "So, you like him, he likes you...what's got your knickers in a twist then?"

"You know it's not that easy Tom!" Albus replied with frustration, he stood up and walked to rest his arm against one of the bed posts. "Remember last year at the Halloween party when we got drunk?...well, the following week you didn't have to worry about anything, did you?, but they had this massive picture of me in all the bloody magazines in existence talking about how bad an image I was giving to kids, and it was all fucked up." he said, crossing his arms around his chest in a defensive position. "So no, I can't just go and...ask him out or whatever...Ugh" Albus sighed heavily and threw his arms in the air in defeat. "I just...I just wish I could be normal. Why is it so fucking hard to be like everyone else? Why couldn't I fall for a girl, like you, like a normal bloke...instead of falling for Scorp, of all people..." Albus noticed in his mind that this was the first time he acknowledged out loud that he had, in fact, fallen for Scorpius. And it made it all more real, and inescapable.

Tom just looked at him for a while, frowning just a little, thinking hard.

"I don't understand you, Al." He said finally, and then stood up and looked at Albus in the eyes. "You always say that you want to be yourself, that you're bloody tired of being compared to your brother, or your father. But seriously mate, how are you going to be yourself if you can't even accept who you are?" Tom finished, looking fiercely into Albus' eyes with determination. "I may not understand what happened between you and Malfoy, and probably you'll never tell me, but I know that you want to be with him, and if that's what makes you happy, then I say go for it, and fuck the magazines, and the newspapers, and the rest of the world. This is who you are, so grow the fuck up and do something about it!" he finished, in what sounded more an order than a suggestion. And it was all Albus really needed: someone to just sort his thoughts out for him, detonating the chain of reaction that would fuel his determination to the point of stubbornness. His classical cold stubbornness that always got him what he wanted.

And he wanted Scorpius, and Scorpius he would get


	13. Victory

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: What can I say... I came back to life after a long time of absence. And I am really really sorry, but I've had the most hectic couple of months ever. I had a great end of term though so I can now focus on writing again, so yay!. This chapter has given me some major headaches and a big author's block, so some parts could definitely be improved. I'm sorry about that, but I really just wanted to publish it and call it a day. _

_If you find any misspelling or other grammatical atrocities please do tell me, 'cause my main objective is to improve. So, Sorry for keeping some of you waiting so long and I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Victory**

The following morning dawned windy and cold. The snow covered the grounds and for some reason professor Longbottom thought it was a great idea to spend the first module collecting herbs that grew in the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

Albus hadn't spoken to Scorpius since their encounter in that empty classroom the day before, but he felt determined to make up for his behavior and sort things out once and for all.

He started walking alone towards Hogsmeade and it took him only a couple of minutes to sight Scorpius walking ahead of him alongside a Ravenclaw girl Albus didn't know. He stepped up his pace until he was near enough for them to hear him.

"Scorp!" he shouted, walking carefully down the inclined road.

Scorpius stopped abruptly and turned around to face him, his face flushed pink by the cold. The girl turned around too and as soon as she saw Albus walking towards them her eyes lit up with excitement.

"What?" replied Scorpius, making sure his tone was an annoyed and angry one.

Albus put his most charming expression and stopped in front of the Raveclaw girl.

"Hey babe, you mind if I have a quick word with my mate here?" he said, brushing his thumb softly against her cheek. The girl blushed immediately, her face starstruck and her face twisting in an impossibly broad smile. She seemed lost for words, and just nodded avidly, without taking her eyes off Albus.

"Thanks babe, it won't take long, I promise." he said, winking at her. The girl almost squeaked at that, and started walking away looking like she was about to faint. Scorpius just rolled his eyes, looking impressed.

"Merlin, Al, how is it that you haven't fucked every single girl in school yet with that charm?" he said, forgetting for a second that he was mad at Albus.

"That's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about." replied Albus, stepping beside Scorpius with a smile and beginning to walk down the snowy road. Scorpius made everything he could to contain his laugh, so he made some kind of weird snort.

"I'm sorry for running away...yesterday." was the first thing Albus said, slightly nervous.

"I'm sorta getting used to it, really." replied Scorpius, regaining his annoyed expression and looking forward.

"I just...needed to think."

"You do that a lot, apparently." Scorpius shot back.

Albus sighed and they walked down the road in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Did you conclude anything?" Scorpius asked suddenly, looking at Albus.

"What?"

"You said you needed to think." said Scorpius, turning left to leave the road and enter a small clearing in the snowy woods. "Did it help you at least? Or you reckon you'll need a couple more of those _shag-and-run_ sessions before making up your mind?" his voice was ice-cold and full of irony. Albus wondered if there was anyone else in the world who could pull off a tone that sounded indifferent and aggressive at the same time like Scorpius.

"No, I–"

"Because if this behavior is going to be, like, a constant thing–" Scorpius continued as he leaned down to cut some herbs growing on the side of the clearing. "Scorp–"

"–then let me tell you it's not going to work."

"Scorpius!" Albus yelled, tired of hearing his friend speak. "It's not just _my_ fault, alright?"

"How d'you mean?" Scorpius asked, looking back at Albus.

"Well...It's not...easy, you know..." Albus shifted uncomfortably, standing just a couple of feet away from Scorpius. He kneeled to cut a herb beside him, making some time to think about what to say. "and...well, it's bloody frustrating to just look at you being so calm and cool about it all. I mean, I freak out every time something happens between us, because I don't really know what this is, and I like you so much, but you're always so indifferent, so casual, and I just don't know if you actually feel anything for me, or if you really care about this...or maybe to you this is all just a game and I'm making a bloody fool of myself standing here talking about my feelings when you–"

Albus stopped dead when he noticed that Scorpius was now standing, looking at him with his mouth half open in a confused expression.

"You...you thought this was just...a _game_...to me?" Scorpius asked in a small voice, the tone changing dramatically from his usual cold drawl to a soft one.

Albus shrugged uncomfortably, unconsciously twisting and crushing the herbs in his hand. Scorpius couldn't believe the irony of it all. It seemed somehow surreal that the boy of his dreams was standing in front of him, flushed and cold, telling him that he liked Scorpius, and he was afraid of Scorpius rejecting him. Because this was Albus fucking Potter, and the irony of it all made Scorpius want to scream and laugh and cry at the same time. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead he slowly walked towards Albus, with just the sound of his footsteps in the snow. He walked until he was face to face with Albus and could feel the boy's warm breath. He leaned forward and his lips brushed softly against Albus'. It was a delicate kiss that made Albus forget everything else, automatically closing his eyes and letting go of the herbs in his hand.

"I'm not entirely sure what that means." Albus said, with a weak smile once Scorpius broke the kiss.

"It means you're an idiot" replied Scorpius smiling, and leaned forward again to plant another kiss on his lips.

"I'm afraid I'm gonna need a little bit more than that..." said Albus, smiling but still unsure of what was happening.

"It means that I like you too, Al." Scorpius sighed heavily. "I've liked you since way before you even acknowledged my presence, and perhaps before I even dared to admit it to myself." Scorpius felt the words he really wanted to say forming in his lips, but he fought back the urge to utter them. Because saying _"I love you" _right now, when Albus was just starting to realize his feelings towards him could freak him out, and rip this strangely weaved relationship that sometimes felt so strong and sometimes so fragile.

But he loved how brave Albus was, how he came here and confessed his feelings, stepping into the abyss of uncertainty. Because Scorpius could never have the courage to talk about his feelings if there was a risk of being rejected or humiliated.

He focused on Albus again, who's eyes were shining and his lips were curved into a smile. And he looked so genuinely happy and relieved that it made Scorpius' heart skip a beat.

"So, will you be my boyfriend?" asked Albus suddenly. His smile wide and his expression expectant. And this request took Scorpius by surprise, and panic took over, because he just then realized they were stepping into something forbidden, and much more complicated.

"No!" he replied bluntly, mainly out of shock. But he immediately regretted what he said, as he saw in Albus' eyes the pain of rejection. And Albus' expression changed immediately, looking now very confused.

"What?"

"I mean...no, Al, of course not...it's just..." Scorpius didn't know what to say. He hadn't thought about how to talk about this, so he hesitated long enough for Albus to misunderstand everything.

"What the fuck, Scorp! you just said–" Albus started raising his tone, feeling lost and frustrated.

"It's not that, Al! I meant every word I said, but...just...just think about it. Honestly Al, every girl at school drools over you. You are famous, and you can't just go and tell everyone that suddenly you like blokes and you're dating one."

"I don't care, Scorp. I don't care what people say, I want you!"

"Well have you thought about me for a second?"

"You...?"

"Yeah, for starters my dad will slaughter me. I'm not supposed to do this, as much as I want to, and believe me, I want you more than anything. But it just can't be. I'm supposed to be a worthy heir of Malfoy, and you..." he suddenly chuckled. "Just...you're Albus Potter for fuck's sake, this is so surreal. It just...It can't be."

"So you're ashamed of being with me, is that it?" asked Albus, trying to sound casual, even though he felt hurt.

"No! of course not, Al!" Scorpius said, trying to fix the situation.

"You don't want your parents to know about me though"

"It's not that!" Scorpius sighed heavily, now starting to get angry. "I'm just saying that we shouldn't do something that we might regret later"

"I won't regret it!"

"Well then let's go find James and tell him the good news, shall we?" shot back Scorpius.

Albus felt a rush of tension at the proposition and hesitated for a moment. Because it was very different to say that he didn't care than to actually go and tell his brother everything.

"Let's go now, c'mon Al, let's go find your brother then" pressed Scorpius, taking Albus' hand and starting to walk out of the clearing, but Albus didn't move. He stayed frozen in his spot.

"I..."

"See? It's not that easy." said Scorpius finally, releasing his hand and standing in front of him.

"But..."

"Look, if you want this so bad, we can still date. I won't look at anyone else but you. But let's not rush things, let's take some time before coming out to everyone, alright?"

Albus relaxed a bit and decided that he liked the idea. They would date but without telling everybody. He could do with that...unless someone else started flirting with Scorpius or something.

"Alright...we won't tell anyone yet. But you can't be with anyone else." agreed Albus.

"Like I wanted to be with anyone else..." joked Scorpius, letting Albus grab him by the hips and kissing him on the lips. Their first kiss as a couple.

After collecting the herbs, they walked together out of the clearing holding hands, walking close to each other.

"Al! What were you two doing there?" came a voice from down the road.

They turned around and saw James approaching quickly, and Albus couldn't help feeling his muscles tensing as he immediately let go of Scorpius' hand.

"Uhh...just, you know...c..collecting herbs, nothing much...we're in Herbology now." he stuttered nervously.

"Oh, I've got free period so I'm heading to Hogsmeade. Ran out of supplies for pranks" he said rubbing his hands together to warm himself.

"By the way, congratulations on your date. Well done!" he suddenly said, punching Albus' arm softly. Albus almost choked at that, feeling a hole in his stomach as he tried to understand what james meant by that.

"uhhh...I haven't..." he stuttered, looking sideways at Scorpius, who looked just as panicked as he was.

"Well, you've got the whole school upside down right now. There was this Ravewclaw girl saying you snogged her out of the blue and all today. So you're not with her?"

"No!" replied Albus quickly, feeling relief flooding him.

"Oh, just wanted to know little bro, don't get your knickers in a twist." James replied, raising his eyebrows and smiling, ready to drop the subject. But Scorpius was feeling a bit mischievous right then.

"Well, he _is_ seeing somebody actually." he said, grinning at Albus.

Albus felt a rush of tension as he saw James' face lit up with intrigue.

"What? Al, What? Who? Who is it? You gotta tell me Al!"

"He just told me, you won't believe it." pressed Scorpius, almost laughing now, seeing as Albus tensed and laughed nervously.

"I don't know...sorry James, but I can't tell you yet." Albus said, playing along without knowing really why.

"Oh bloody hell Al, c'mon, please tell me, I'm gonna die if you don't tell me bro!" James pleaded, dying to know who was it.

It made them both laugh, feeling the thrill of knowing a secret nobody else knew. The excitement of stepping into the forbidden, standing just on the edge. They locked hands behind their backs, hiding them with their bodies pressed tightly together, and Al smiled.

"He won't drop it until I tell him."

"I know." replied Scorpius, still smiling as they headed together back to the castle.

* * *

><p>"Wow, Potter, is that a lovebite?" asked Henric with a stupid smirk on his lips, brushing his fingers along Albus' right shoulder blade, just where Scorpius had bit him a couple of days ago. The mark was now dark and bruised, but thankfully it could be easily hidden under his shirt.<p>

Albus masked the shock in his face and examined the bite through the mirror in the Slytherin changing room. He tried to pull the most nonchalant expression, thinking of a way of changing the subject

"What are you going on about, mate? does this look like a lovebite to you? Well, clearly you haven't had that many then, have you?" Albus said, because it was the only thing he could come up with.

"Oh, don't give me tha-" replied Henric, but before he could go on, Tom interrupted him.

"No, Heav, he's right, that doesn't look like a lovebite" said Tom immediately, stepping into the conversation to help. "...unless you were getting off with a bloody werewolf or something, Al. it actually looks like it must hurt quite a lot."

Albus thanked Tom with a quick nod for getting him out of the awkward situation, and when they were all changed they walked together outside and into the Quidditch pitch for their second match.

And this time Albus was unstoppable. He dashed and dodged and scored like there was no tomorrow. He felt happy and excited and it showed in his moves as he pierced through the sky on his broomstick, thinking about Scorpius' eyes following him across the pitch. He could feel the silver eyes encouraging him from somewhere in the audience, and it felt like wildfire through his body, this secret that no one else knew. Hundreds of spectators oblivious to the fact that he was dating the most beautiful boy in school. It was a scandal, and it was thrilling to have a secret this big, hiding it from the press and the rest of the people. And just knowing that Scorpius was his made him feel lightheaded and excited, giving him the strength to throw the Quaffle at light speed.

By the time the snitch was finally caught Slytherin was already scoring 160 points so the official game results were 310 to 90. And when the whistle marked the end of the game the Slytherin house erupted in cheers and applauses. Scorpius jumped up and down, clapping and feeling more excited over Quidditch than he had in his whole life. And it was all because of Albus. He was so happy for Albus, he knew this would make his whole week and he wouldn't stop talking about this match for the rest of the month. He watched the dark haired boy step down of his broom from afar and be lifted by the rest of his team. He had been undeniably the star of this match, so his friends were gathering around him to celebrate. Scorpius couldn't help feeling a bit jealous at the boy carrying Albus on his shoulders, while the rest clapped and followed him around. Suddenly Albus turned around to face the crowd and looked directly at Scorpius as he raised his hand to wave at him. Excitement and happiness covered his face and Scorpius felt himself blushing, knowing that the wave was just for him. he waved back and raised his thumb, smiling at the dark haired boy. Albus from the distance raised his thumb back at him and his smile became bigger than ever.

* * *

><p>The clock struck midnight but the party in the Slytherin common room still continued. Tom had managed to sneak some butterbear and firewhisky into the room, claiming that the victory was worth the risk. Scorpius wasn't very excited about the idea, since he wanted to spend some time alone with Albus, but Albus was all for celebrating, feeling extremely excited about the future, knowing that winning the Quidditch cup was one step closer, and this time it was quite a realistic possibility.<p>

After a few drinks Albus walked across the room to where Scorpius was standing.

"Hello there" he said, standing just in front of him.

"Hey, just warning you, don't do anything stupid" Scorpius replied smiling, with a glass of beer in his hand. Albus pouted and made a frustrated noise.

"I want to kiss you so bad..." he whispered, although anyone near him could hear him. But thankfully no one did apart from Scorpius.

"You're so drunk mate" Scorpius said with a chuckle. But Albus ignored him and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him in a tight hug while resting his head on Scorpius' shoulder.

"I want to fuck you." he whispered in Scorpius' ear, but suddenly he felt something hit him in the back. He turned around and saw Tom from the other side of the room gesturing him to stop, sliding a hand across his neck repeatedly. Albus got the message and released Scorpius, but just before he could step back, Scorpius grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer.

"If anyone's getting fucked, it's you Al." he whispered.

Albus' eyes went wide and his mouth hanged open in shock and surprise for a second. He then raised his eyebrows in a challenging expression and smiled.

"We'll see about that.


	14. Spider Eggs and a Seeker

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: I hope that you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. I apologize for any misspelling, and if you find something poorly written please do tell me._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**Spider Eggs and a Seeker**

Albus shivered with cold, and along with the freezing sensation that he had been sleeping inside a bucket of ice came the merciless throbbing of his head. His brain felt too big for his skull and his whole body felt like he had just fallen from the Astronomy tower. He noticed he was sleeping shirtless on his own bed. He didn't remember how or when he got there in the first place, failing to remember how the night had ended. He let out a low groan as he slowly rubbed his eyes before opening them. He looked to the side and saw Scorpius on the other bed looking at him.

"Stop staring, you're being creepy" he muttered, covering his whole body under the sheets.

"I can't help it, you're shirtless. How do you feel?" asked Scorpius, who looked far too composed compared to Albus.

"Like crap, if you must know." Albus replied. Then he poked his head out from under the bed covers, "Did I cause any trouble last night? I can't remember much" he asked, looking worried.

"No, don't worry, you behaved just fine." replied Scorpius, standing up to walk to his trunk so he could get ready for the day. "In fact, you came to bed all by yourself, which is a massive achievement considering how drunk you were."

"Sorry..." whispered Albus, feeling ashamed. But Scorpius looked at him fondly and chuckled.

"You were quite fun actually, a lot more...outgoing, I like it. Now hurry and get up so we can have some breakfast." and with that he walked out of the room.

Albus laid in bed for a while. He felt like absolute shit, and he just wanted to sleep through this hangover, but it was impossible now that he felt so cold. But just a second later he remembered that he was dating Scorpius, and just after that, he remembered the Quidditch game, and suddenly the headache felt insignificant compared to the wave of excitement that flooded him. It made him want to go out and get on his broomstick and dash across the air. He started grinning like crazy and it took all of his willpower not to scream his excitement out, so instead he threw the bed covers to the side and stood up in one jump, only to regret that decision when his head felt like it was about to explode.

After that he slowly walked to the bathrooms. Maybe a hot shower would help.

* * *

><p>"Hey Potter, great game yesterday!" a boy yelled at Albus, who was dragging himself into the Great Hall.<p>

"Yeah, thanks..." he replied absently, without looking at the unknown student.

"Wow, are you practicing for the Living Dead contest or what?" asked Tom as he saw Albus walk towards him and Scorpius, who were sitting together at the Slytherin table. Albus just ignored him and dropped to the bench beside Scorpius.

"Are you feeling any better?" asked Scorpius.

"Do I need to answer?" asked Albus, resting his elbows on the table, unable to eat anything, but incredibly thirsty.

"Here, have some juice, it'll sort you out" said Tom, passing him a goblet full of Pumpkin juice.

Albus drank just a little bit and immediately started feeling better. But at that very moment Lance Feder, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, approached hastily with a shocked expression, looking like he had barely slept at all.

"Potter, we've got an emergency" he said, without even greeting them. "Meyer's just given up his Seeker position."

"What?" yelled Albus and Tom immediately.

"Talked to me this morning, the git. His mam told him off for not getting good grades. He's saying he's got to focus on his NEWTs and all, innit."

Dylan Meyer was Slytherin's 7th Year Seeker. He had been in that position for the last 4 years.

"So what're we gonna do?" asked Albus quickly.

"I spoke to professor Vector just now and she told me we've gotta find another Seeker before next sunday. '_plenty of raw talent in our house_' she said, the old hag." Lance said, looking seriously distressed. "Thinks it's a bloody joke..."

"I can take the position!" called Tom, raising and waving his hand excitedly.

"No, you can't. You wouldn't catch the snitch if it flapped it's wings all over your face." replied Albus.

"Oh, someone's a bit arsey" replied Tom, crossing him arms.

"Oh, you reckon?" shot back Albus.

"Alright, I better go. Potter, I need you to find a decent Seeker as soon as possible. I'm counting on you mate, yeah? This is life or death situation lads, we're under Hufflepuff by about 100 points, so we can't screw this one up." Lance said as he stood up. He nodded at them and started walking away. He crossed path with Henric Heavyway, who was walking towards them to join them.

"So Lance told you about Meyer."

Albus nodded solemnly, beginning to feel the headaches once more.

"A right twat, he is. What was he thinking? to leave the team now!"

"Well, he's in 7th year," reasoned Albus, drinking more juice. "This is his last chance to get some good grades so he can...you know, do _something_ with his life. Barely anyone's playing Quidditch by 7th year." he placed the goblet on the table. "I think I'ma go get some more sleep, perhaps 'till tomorrow. I'm knackered."

"What? NO!" said Tom hurriedly. "We need you tonight, we can't go without you!"

"Tonight? What're you talking about?" asked Albus.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what day today is. Second sunday of the month, Al. The egg hunt!"

Albus' face suddenly lit with excitement as he heard those words.

"Egg hunt? What is that?" asked Scorpius, suddenly feeling lost.

"Oh, It's a...sort of tradition, as it were. The second sunday of January a colony of spiders in the Forbidden Forest lay their eggs..." explained Albus.

"We reckon it has something to so with the moon." added Tom.

"So we go out at night and nick some eggs from them. And we bring them to the castle. We use them for potions." finished Albus, looking expectantly at Scorpius.

"What...kind of potions?" asked Scorpius, sounding incredulous and unsure.

"Well" said Henric. "Have you noticed that for the last couple of years during Valentines day all Gryffindor girls wake up with this mysterious skin rash?" he grinned.

"You were the ones behind it?" asked Scorpius in shock. "Why?"

"Wow, don't be such a ponce, Malfoy." said Henric, "We're Slytherins, and they're Gryffindors. That's what we do mate, it's hardly advanced Arithmancy."

"Actually, it's more the adventure of going in the forest and getting the eggs. It's quite fun. This time you can come with us, if you like" said Albus, with inviting eyes.

"And why didn't you ever tell me this? I'm Slytherin too, I'll have you know." said Scorpius.

"Well, you never asked..." Albus shrugged, uncertain. "Besides, you never seemed too keen to spend time with us. It's not that we didn't want you there." he finished, sounding apologetic.

"I feel like I should be offended" said Scorpius.

"It's the truth, Malfoy." replied Henric. "In fact, I've hardly ever heard your voice. I really cannot understand how you became friends with Albus. I mean he's always keeping everything to himself, and you hardly ever open your mouth. What'd you even do when you two are alone?"

Scorpius and Albus looked at each other at the same time, and both chuckled. Henric lifted an eyebrow, but his questioning expression was left unanswered.

"Well...I'm not so sure I want to be part of your little expedition." Said Scorpius, now serious again.

"Oh, c'mon Scorp, where's your Slytherin spirit? Besides I need you there. I won't go if you don't go with me." pleaded Albus, giving him puppy eyes. "Pleaseeee..."

Scorpius considered it for a moment, until he felt Albus' hand grab his under the table. He squeezed briefly and then interlocked their fingers slowly, hidden from the sight of everyone around them. Scorpius chuckled.

"Alright, I'll go."

* * *

><p>"I'm not so sure about this, Al" said Scorpius in a small voice.<p>

The night had fallen and they were all feigning sleep while they waited for the signal to get moving. Scorpius was on Albus' bed, waiting for the moment to come.

"C'mon Scorp, it'll be fun!" replied Albus, smiling at him.

Scorpius didn't really mind that they took house points from him, or detention. But actively doing something against the rules wasn't something he felt comfortable with.

"What if we get caught?" he whispered.

"Scorp," Albus said, clearing his throat. "When was the last time you did something risky? or fun? You have the freedom to do so without that many consequences. If I get caught the whole country will know. But I must take the risk, because sometimes it's worth it!. It's stepping into the unknown!"

Scorpius stayed silent, looking at Albus' green eyes looking back at him. _Stepping into the unknown...the abyss of uncertainty._ That's what he had never done. He avoided the unknown; he blamed and cursed the world for giving him a destiny, yet he never dared to do something about it. Because he always thought this was how everything was supposed to be. And as anxiety and confusion filled his brain, the door opened with a creak and a voice called them.

"Alright, let's go."

They all stood up silently and walked towards the exit to the Common Room.

Albus led the way, turning and dashing through the castle corridors with the faint light of his wand pointing his father's Marauder's Map. He was followed close behind by Henric and Augustus; behind them walked Scorpius, almost tiptoeing; and covering the rear went Tom and Andrew. They all walked quietly until they reached the school grounds, lit only by the moonlight. The six boys sprinted their way to the forbidden forest and regrouped under a tall tree.

"Alright," said Henric, with an authoritative voice. "Me and Schelden will go into the nest, and nick the eggs. Potter, you're in charge of the bag" he said, passing Albus a small bag, enchanted with an extension charm. "Tom and Crabbe will stay here, in charge of the exit strategy."

"Stay with me." Albus whispered in Scorpius' ear before the boy could ask any questions.

They walked into the thick darkness of the forest. Henric and Augustus quickly went out of sight, making their way between huge trees and roots. Scorpius walked slowly beside Albus, carefully avoiding the twigs scattered on the ground. The sound of the tiniest move echoed through the darkness, making Scorpius peer constantly at every corner.

"So they get the eggs, and give them to you?" asked Scorpius very softly, careful not to disturb the eery silence of the woods. "Why didn't they just take the bag with them?"

"Well, It's better this way, because they can throw the eggs at me, so they have time to escape. The spiders only follow the smell of the eggs. They're quite dumb." replied Albus, looking forward, apparently searching for something.

"Come, I wanna show you something" he said suddenly, holding Scorpius' hand. They turned right and started walking forward. The trees grew close together here and the darkness became more suffocating by the second. Scorpius could hear mysterious noises coming from unknown sources, until they came to a clearing, surrounded by huge trees and illuminated by the pale glow of the moon. Albus just stood there for a while, admiring the place in a sort of thoughtful expression.

"This is were You-Know-Who...killed my dad." whispered Albus, with a solemn tone and so softly that Scorpius could barely hear. "But then he came back from the dead. Brilliant huh?" he finished, the corner of his mouth twisted into a smile.

"It's...extremely creepy, Al." replied Scorpius, barely able to produce words. The energy in that place was incredibly strong, and it made Scorpius' hair stand on end. A cold shiver rushed through his spine and he tightened the grip on Albus' hand. Albus gently twisted his fingers to interlock them with Scorpius'. They looked at each other and Scorpius felt the familiar knot in his stomach that appeared every time Albus looked at him like that.

"This is one of my favourite places in the world." said Albus. "The forest, I mean." he clarified.

"It's...dangerous" reasoned Scorpius.

"It is, and it doesn't matter who you are, because everything here is huge, and it makes you feel so...tiny." replied Albus. "Out there," he said, pointing with his arm at some random direction, "everyone thinks I'm this important person. But I'm really not. I'm nothing, really. And this place reminds me of that. It keeps me grounded." He sighed, and absently noticed that he was talking about such personal feelings, without a hint of shame, or fear.

"Here...I see how small I am under the stars; under these huge trees. And it reminds me of the possibilities: that this world is massive, and there's so much to be, and to do." he trailed off, this time he seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Scorpius wanted to say so many things, but he didn't say any. He wanted to say "_I love you_", just like the other day, because he really _lovedlovedloved_ him, he loved how true he was to himself, how brave and eloquent and perfect he was. But that was, as Albus had said, _stepping into the unknown_. And as much as he wanted to be brave as Al, he wasn't. Saying those words could ruin this moment, that in his eyes was perfect. Because Albus was being so honest, and he didn't want to ruin that. So he stayed silent, like he had always done, for his whole life.

Albus sighed and looked at him, smiling. "Thanks, Scorp."

"For what?"

"For...listening. And for making me talk. I never realized how much I needed it." Albus replied. He looked genuinely content, like poison had been drained from his body.

"You're welcome" replied Scorpius, happy with himself. He shifted to the side and hugged Albus tightly, their bodies fitting perfectly together. He let his body communicate what he didn't dare speak. They stayed like this, for a minute or two, just holding onto each other.

"We should go back." said Albus after a while, slowly lifting his head from Scorpius' shoulder. He turned around and started walking back, holding Scorpius' hand firmly in his own.

They walked back through the same road they came from, lighting the way with Albus' wand. After a couple of minutes of walking, they came to the conclusion that they were completely lost.

"Alright, calm down." said Albus, as soon as he noticed Scorpius starting to get anxious and scared. "We just need to...err...cast a–"

"Shhh" Scorpius cut him off, pressing his finger to his lips and then pointing towards the darkness.

"What?" replied Albus in a whisper, peering into the place Scorpius pointed.

"I just heard..." Scorpius said, and just then Albus heard it too, a very soft noise that drew closer and closer by the second.

"Do you hear it?"

"Yeah" whispered Albus, standing perfectly still, trying to make out what the noise was.

Suddenly, along with the increasing noise came a vibration of the ground. The gentle vibrations became stronger and stronger and the undefined noise became clearly the sound of a man screaming.

"Is that..."

"Henric?" finished Albus, peering into the dark, feeling his heart beat faster until it was hammering under his ribcage. He held his breath and suddenly the light coming from his wand revealed the figure of a man running at full speed towards them. And just a couple of steps behind, a horde of giant spiders–hundreds of them–, dashing through the darkness in a furious pursuit, trying to catch Henric in their massive pincers.

"RUUUUUNNN!" shouted Henric, and as he did, Albus and Scorpius turned around and broke into a mad run, followed by the army of spiders that made the ground tremble with their legs. They could barely see anything, blindly avoiding the trees that grew ahead of them with Albus' wandlight waving and pointing everywhere. Scorpius' heart was hammering, his mind blind with panic and adrenaline. He felt someone grab his hand and push him to take a left, then right, and left again, and suddenly he was running hand in hand with Albus through a long road mostly clear of trees and roots, feeling the spiders barely touching his back.

They sprinted but suddenly Albus fell to the ground, his foot tangled in an overgrown root that sprouted from the dark ground. He let go of Scorpius hand and Scorpius had already taken a couple of steps before realizing Albus had fallen. He stopped dead and turned around, reaching for Albus.

"AL, I SWEAR TO GOD, IF WE DIE BECAUSE OF YOUR CLUMSINESS..." but as he tried to disentangle Albus' feet, he saw the army of spiders again, this time closer to Henric, about to jump over him.

"THE BAG!" Henric shouted, in a desperate tone.

"Scorp, the BAG, THE– THE BAG!" yelled Albus, giving the bag to Scorpius with trembling arms.

"But...I Can't!" tried to reply Scorpius, but before he knew it, Henric was throwing eggs towards him at maximum speed. He got up and in a mad rush of adrenaline caught the first one in mid air; and the second one; and the third in a perfectly firm grip. Eggs the size of a Snitch, and not a single one fell to the ground. And once all ten eggs were safely put in the bag, Henric threw himself to the ground and curled, but not a single spider stopped, they passed over him without even noticing his presence, just focused on Scorpius.

Scorpius kneeled once again to break the root that was trapping Albus' foot, but Albus was in a completely different planet this time. He was watching Scorpius in an awe-struck, almost idolizing expression.

"You're a natural Seeker!" he said, forgetting completely about the hundreds of Spiders that drew closer each passing second.

"Can we talk about this later?" yelled Scorpius, finally succeeding in breaking the root so Albus could escape.

"But you're...You're–"

"SHUT UP AND RUN!" yelled Scorpius, grabbing Albus by the hand and breaking once again into a mad run. They turned right and Scorpius could see the edge of the forest, cold breeze hit him and hope reignited in him. He quickened the pace, jumping over roots and rocks, the end of the forest nearer and nearer. But at that same time he could hear the sound of angry spiders closer than ever. The first spiders started moving their pincers, and one of them actually got to rip a part of Albus' robe. It drove Scorpius into a mad frenzy of desperation, completely sure that they would all die right there and then.

"Crabbe, NOW!" screamed Albus suddenly, and as soon as the words were uttered, the sound of two people casting a severing charm pierced the sky.

"_Diffindo!_" yelled Andrew and Tom at the same time, and a second later two huge trees fell to the ground just behind Albus and Scorpius, who thanks to the distraction managed to close the distance and cross the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They ran for a long time, still holding hands, reaching almost the door to the castle before fully stopping, panting loudly and desperately. Behind them ran Augustus, Tom, Andrew and Henric, all bruised and dirty, but alive.

"Can they come out here?" asked Scorpius, barely able to say a word, completely exhausted.

"Nah, they don't come out of the forest." said Augustus simply.

"Wooooooooohaaaaa!" yelled Henric pumping his fist in the air, celebrating his victory. then he turned around to look at Albus and Scorpius. "You are sooo gay Malfoy, why the fuck are you holding Albus' hand?" he laughed.

Scorpius immediately blushed and tried to let go of Albus' hand, but Albus wouldn't let him. He held their hands together tightly, about to say something, but just then Tom stepped in.

"Oh, Henric, you mean you don't want me to kiss you? Oh well, I suppose I'd do with a hug, come here." Tom said, opening his arms to wrap Henric into a hug.

"Get away from me you freak!" Henric yelled, walking backwards and running in circles, escaping from Tom.

They all laughed at Tom, following Henric with his arms open, until they saw Hagrid's hut light turn on.

"We better get inside the castle." said Albus, and soon enough they all headed towards their common room, walking quietly through the castle corridors but unable to shake off the excitement of such an adventure.

* * *

><p>Before Scorpius could drift off to sleep that night, he heard Albus' curtain sliding, and then a weight on his own bed. Suddenly he saw Albus getting comfortable under the covers beside him.<p>

"Hey." he said.

"Hey." replied Scorpius shyly, butterflies fluttering inside him.

"Did you like the adventure?" asked Albus, with expectant eyes, glowing green and bright.

"It was...alright, I'm not doing it again though." replied Scorpius. The adventure had been genuinely great, but it was perhaps too much adrenaline for him. At least for now.

"Why didn't you tell me you were such a good Seeker?" asked Albus suddenly, like he had waited a lifetime long to ask it.

"I'm...I'm not–"

"Yeah you are. I saw you catching those eggs. You're an excellent Seeker." replied Albus, sounding too sure of himself. "And let me tell you, tomorrow I'm making you the team's Seeker."

"Al, I...I don't" Scorpius stuttered, unsure of his own abilities. Surely Albus was mistaken, and he didn't want to disappoint him. He really didn't believe he was any good at this.

"Please, Scorp. I'm begging you. Just give it a chance." Albus begged, holding Scorpius' hand under the covers. "I know you're great. I trust you more than anyone."

"Al, you shouldn't–"

"Please..."

Scorpius felt scared. But it was so hard saying no to Albus, not when his emerald green eyes looked at him with such glow, begging him. He just couldn't say no.

"Alight I'll...I'll try." he said, and the smile Albus gave him after that was definitely worth it. And he would be the best seeker in the world if it meant that he could see that smile for the rest of his life.


	15. Triple Date

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: Yay I broke my own record of words in a chapter. I apologize for any misspellings or incoherent phrasing. Please do tell me if you find any._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**Triple Date**

Scorpius walked slowly behind Albus, crossing the castle grounds and heading towards the Quidditch Pitch. Albus turned around every now and then to make sure Scorpius was still following him, half expecting the blond boy to run away and hide somewhere far from the pitch for the rest of the school year. He could see fear and anxiety flicker through Scorpius' eyes, to which he could do nothing more than answer with a friendly smile.

"You'll do fine, Scorp. Stop fretting about it" he said, trying to endow Scorpius with some confidence.

At least six other students turned up to the pitch, looking for a spot in Slytherin's team as Seeker. Obviously the only one who got the position was Scorpius. Because, well, it was Albus Potter who said so.

Scorpius changed to his Quidditch robes, which he hadn't used for ages, mounted his broom and with a trembling kick he raised over the ground and into the infinite sky.

He was quite good at flying, what with being raised in a traditional pure-blood Wizard family with a father who enjoyed Quidditch enough to teach his only son all about it, so he had no trouble with the first warm-ups.

Albus knew Scorpius was a great Seeker. He remembered the way Scorpius caught those eggs; he moved swiftly, and had a firm grip; his reflexes were top notch, and he had a thin, agile body, perfect for a Seeker. But as soon as the actual training began, Albus could see that Scorpius lacked a lot of confidence. He wasn't playing bad, but each time he missed the snitch he would turn his head and look at Albus with an apologetic expression, like he was more worried about what Albus would say than about actually catching the Snitch. Albus felt torn between wanting to shout him to _Focus on the fucking Snitch, _and comfort him. He just tried to smile and encourage him to keep trying.

So, all in all, the first Quidditch practice went quite terribly wrong. Scorpius managed to catch the snitch just once during the whole time, and when the time came to come back to the ground, Lance Feder looked distraught and a bit panicked.

"Good training everyone. Malfoy, you..." Lance seemed lost for words. "You need to practice a bit more, yeah?"

Scorpius nodded softly, feeling Albus' hand on his shoulder, comforting him.

"Practice _a bit_ more?" spat Albert Harries, a big, muscular 5th year beater. "Is everyone going mental? he's rubbish!" he finished, pointing at Scorpius.

"Watch it, Bertie." hissed Albus in a threatening tone.

"No, Potter, this is fucked up." Albert replied. "I mean, yeah, he can fly, I'll give him that. But we've only got one game left, we can't waste time teaching this chap what a bloody Snitch is."

"He's as good as any." replied Clarity, a sixth year girl who played as Beater too.

"No he's not!" said Albert immediately, frustration evident in his face. "We've only got him 'cause of Potter's whim, and sorry mate, but he's _not_ good enough. I mean, don't tell me you actually believe he stands a chance." he finished, now raising his voice as he got more and more angry.

"Yeah, actually I do." replied Albus immediately, in a voice full of confidence.

Scorpius didn't like the fact that Albert was insulting him so freely, but he didn't like the fact that Albus placed so much trust in him either. He just didn't want to be here, because he knew deep down that Albert was right. He wasn't good, and he supposed Albert had the right to feel angry.

"Don't kid yourself Potter, look at him, he has no idea what he's doing here," said Albert, and Albus started losing his temper, unable to stand Albert insulting Scorpius so shamelessly. "Yeah, Seekers must be light, but this one's so skinny the flutter of a snitch could send him flying off the pitch." he finished, pushing Scorpius backwards softy with his fingers to prove his point. And that made Albus snap.

"Don't _fucking_ touch him!" Albus spat, standing in front of Scorpius and pushing Albert backwards with both hands. Albert stumbled backwards and nearly fell to the ground, and everyone knew this wasn't going to end well. Albert launched forward colliding against Albus' body, and sank his fist into his stomach, seizing the opportunity to vent his frustration on someone, but Albus stood his ground and managed to aim a couple of fists at Albert.

It was the most awkward situation for Scorpius, who stood paralyzed on his spot. Many thoughts crossed his mind, but above all he felt guilty, because he knew Albus was fighting to defend him, and yet there he stood, frozen, unable to do anything about it.

Before Albert could leap over him completely and let his frustration take the best of him, Lance got in the middle and separated them. Henric grabbed Albus by his arms and pulled him away, while Albus moved furiously.

"Al, chill out mate." Henric said, holding Albus firmly while dragging him backwards.

"Enough!" declared Lance, this time noticeably furious "Malfoy is staying in the team. So you either get over it or we better as well search for a new Beater." he finished, looking at Albert dangerously.

Albert stayed still for a moment, waiting for his anger to subdue.

"I hope you teach your boyfriend how to be a decent Seeker before the next match, Potter, or we'll be fucked, and you'll be the one to blame." Albert announced finally, pointing a threatening finger at Albus. He then turned around and stalked to the changing rooms. The others followed him after a couple of seconds, until only Scorpius and Albus were left in the middle of the pitch.

"He's right, Al." said Scorpius in a small voice, eyeing Albus sadly.

"Scorp, listen." Albus said, standing in front of him, and resting his arms on Scorpius' shoulders. "Look at me." Scorpius raised his head, looking at Albus' beautiful green eyes.

"you're a great Seeker, Scorp. I know it." he said, looking directly at Scorpius' eyes. "You are brilliant, and I wouldn't trust the snitch to anyone else."

Scorpius was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell Albus not to be so naive. Tell him to face the truth and just admit that Scorpius wasn't any good. But he knew Albus wasn't a good liar, and yet he didn't see a drop of doubt in those emerald-green eyes.

"I believe in you, Scorp. I just need you to believe in yourself." said Albus softly, giving him one of those smiles that made Scorpius' knees go weak. "Can you do that?"

"I..." Scorpius knew that Albus genuinely believed in him, that he truly, wholeheartedly thought that Scorpius was good. And suddenly he realized that was all he needed: one person who believed in him. One person who made him believe that things could be different. That his life wasn't written in stone, and that choices could be made. One person to assure him that life _could_ be unexpected, and that somehow things that didn't matter, like Quidditch, could suddenly become so important.

He didn't want a life where he married a witch he didn't know, and he didn't want to spend the rest of his life imprisoned in his Manor in Wiltshire. He didn't want the life that he thought he was destined to have. The life he couldn't escape from. The life where nothing exciting ever happened.

But suddenly he found himself dating Albus, staying up late, running from hordes of spiders and becoming a Seeker for his team. And everything was so odd, but _exciting_. And his future started blurring in a magnificent whirlwind of possibilities. In that precise moment, while those beautiful emerald-green eyes gazed into his very soul, he felt as though Albus was opening not one, but so many doors for him. Doors filled with possibilities; doors he never dared open.

Albus was believing in him. He was sure that Scorpius could be much more than what he was now. And Scorpius wanted to believe this too, because hope is the only thing that allows change; and so he did. He suddenly started believing that he could do it, he could do something about his life, and he would.

"I can. I will." he heard himself reply. It was a promise that came from the depths of his heart. And Albus smiled, because he could see honesty in Scorpius' eyes. He wrapped the blond boy in a tight hug, now trusting him more than ever.

"By the way" said Scorpius, as they started walking towards the changing room. "Your little...err...Muggle fight. It was Brilliant. A little barbaric, but quite entertaining."

Albus chuckled, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry that I put you in that position though. It wasn't fair that you had to fight, when it was me he was messing with." Scorpius added, now looking serious again. They entered the changing room, which was empty by now.

"Exactly. You're my boyfriend," Replied Albus, immediately stripping off his shirt. "Don't expect me to just stand about while he's taking the piss out of you."

Scorpius' lip twitched at the mention of the word '_boyfriend_', a mixture of emotions making his stomach tighten, unable to get his head around them. But he quickly snapped out of it and walked towards the dark haired boy undressing right in front of him.

"Sometimes you just have to be rough, Scorp." Albus said, still unaware of Scorpius drawing near. "You can't let people walk over you."

"Oh I can be rough." sneered Scorpius, standing now in front of Albus. They were almost the same height so their eyes were at the same level. Albus blushed immediately after noticing what Scorpius meant. He looked a bit off by Scorpius' sudden proximity.

"Y–you can?" he stuttered with a nervous glance.

"Uh-Huh" replied Scorpius, suddenly shoving him up against the nearest wall. Albus shivered at the contact of the cold and bumpy surface of the stone wall against his soft skin. And suddenly Scorpius was all over him, kissing him furiously everywhere.

"Scorp you–you weren't even– listening..." he protested, chuckling as Scorpius' hot breath hovered over his shoulder, but soon he surrendered to the attack and gave in, kissing Scorpius back. Albus' trousers were down to his knees, exposing his pants now a bit too tight for his growing erection. He pulled Scorpius' shirt over his arms between kisses, wanting to feel their naked bodies pressed together. They finished undressing while walking towards the showers, and stepped under the stream of hot water together, touching each other all over. Albus's hand travelled south along Scorpius' naked body until it finally reached his wet cock, curling his fingers tight around it, and Scorpius felt like nothing had ever felt this right. No one had ever touched him there before, and as Albus stroked him from the base to the tip he felt his knees go weak. Both boys dropped to the wet floor of the shower, still embraced, holding onto each other while Albus stroked Scorpius' cock slowly, his wrist working hard to keep the pace, and Scorpius could only moan and drop his head onto Albus' shoulder, feeling the water splashing on his back and Albus' hand stroking his shaft so painfully slow.

"Al, please." he moaned, holding on to Albus' wet chest, unable to think about anything else but the unyielding pleasure that each stroke produced. "P–Please, faster!"

Albus obliged, resting one hand on Scorpius' back while increasing the rhythm with the other, stroking faster along Scorpius' cock. Scorpius couldn't help start fucking Albus' hand, rocking his hips against the tight grip and raising his head, letting the stream of hot water hit him on the face. Albus kissed the blond boy's neck, working faster on his cock, feeling Scorpius' desperation in his pulsating prick.

"Oh, Al...I'm–I'm gonna–" The few words he was able to produce were muffled by the stream of water hitting his face and accumulating in his mouth. Scorpius increased the speed, awkwardly sliding his shaft through Albus' curled fingers faster and harder, now unable to focus on anything else, feeling the hot water pouring over his face, and Albus' mouth slowly sliding from his neck to his ear to whisper, "Come on Scorp," the words sounding hot and seducing. "Come for me."

Scorpius thought it was unfair the effect Albus' words could have on him, feeling a slight pinch in the pit of his stomach. He suddenly went stiff, shooting his load all over Albus' stomach as his moves became spasms and his mind went blank with pleasure. He groaned against Albus' ear, clenching his jaw and holding on to his shoulders tightly. And just a couple of seconds later, he's back in the shower, opening his eyes to meet Albus, who's staring back at him with a smug smile, still with a hand on Scorpius' cock and the other on his hip.

"Alright?"

"Y–Yeah" replied Scorpius smiling, "Actually more than alright, but don't look so smug."

"Admit that I'm great at this." replied Albus, letting go of Scorpius' prick and standing up, offering a hand to Scorpius.

"Yeah, you are. You're great at everything, is that what you want to hear?" replied Scorpius, taking the hand as he felt his knees too weak to get up on their own. "I'm still going to be the one to fuck you, though."

Albus didn't take the reply the same way as he had the last time. His smile faltered as fear flickered through his eyes.

"Were you– serious?...– about that?" he asked, with a clear tone of uncertainty to his voice.

"Does it really scare you that much? The idea of me fucking you?" asked Scorpius, now standing and looking incredulously at Albus.

"No, of–of course not" lied Albus, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's just that...I'd never really thought about it, is all." Scorpius could see that Albus was having troubles getting his head around the idea. So he decided to drop it.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry." he said, kissing Albus on the lips under the stream of hot water, and Albus' face immediately responded with a smile.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks fell into much of a routine. Albus and Scorpius went to their classes and during their free periods they would dash down to the pitch, spending every waking hour chasing after the Snitch. Scorpius got considerably better, improving daily and now showing the natural seeker talent Albus had spotted that night in the Forbidden Forest. He still couldn't beat Albus, but he was getting there pretty fast, considering only two weeks had passed since he started playing.<p>

The day before Valentine's day the two boys walked sleepily down the Great Hall, finally sitting at the Ravenclaw table next to Rose, ready to eat their breakfast.

"Morning Al, Malfoy." said Rose, without looking up, her eyes fixed on the Daily Prophet she was holding.

"Morning Rosie. Looking forward to tomorrow? Got a date yet?" asked Albus, pouring some porridge into his bowl.

"Al, you know I don't take part in those silly events." replied Rose, casually lifting her gaze to meet Albus' eyes.

"Well, you are now." said Albus, ready to drop the bomb and hope for the best. "I've set you up with Henric."

"What?!" replied Rose, wheeling around to stare at him confusedly.

"Henric. Henric Heavyway. Slytherin, dark hair, he's my room mate–"

"Yeah I know who Henric is, Al. What do you mean by _setting me up_ with him is what I'm asking." replied Rose, now starting to turn slightly red.

"Well, you know, just a date, for valentine's day. I owed him–"

"You _OWED_ him?" she bellowed. "What's that supposed to mean Albus?"

"Well I needed his bed and–"

"You traded me for a _bed_?!" Rose yelled, looking as red as an apple.

"Kind of...but it's not a big deal, I mean it's just for a day." Albus reasoned, cautiously trying to calm Rose down.

"Oh you've got a nerve, the two of you." Rose sentenced, crumpling the newspaper under her fists. "You Slytherins are disgusting."

"I know, we hate ourselves, don't we Scorp?" Albus said, casting a nervous glance at Scorpius, who responded by nodding avidly.

"Well, you can forget about it, I'm not doing it." Rose said.

"But...Rose, I've already made the deal." Albus protested. "It was to make sure the Mandrose treatment worked, and it did! So you should be thankful for that."

"What, for you not getting yourself killed? I told you not to do it, but you wouldn't listen to me. Why should I listen to you now?"

"C'mooon! It'll be fun! I will go with you if you want." said Albus, trying hard to encourage his cousin.

"You? You don't even have a date." asked Rose.

"I do!, I've–"

"WHAT?!" asked Rose and Scorpius at the same time, Scorpius almost jumping off the bench. Albus glanced immediately at Scorpius, who was looking so shocked he thought Rose would notice something weird and ask about it, but fortunately she didn't.

"It's nothing Scorp," said Albus in a soft voice. "Just a girl that–"

"But you're..._Taken_." Scorpius hissed immediately, having some difficulty finding the correct word to use in front of Rose.

"Taken? What do you mean taken?" pressed Rose suddenly, her eyes flickering with something like intrigue.

"Heeeaaa–" Albus panicked, turning around to face Rose once again. "He means...We've got something to do tomorrow...you know, homework. I'm taken...err...busy, tomorrow is what he means. But I–I...I've already taken care of that."

"Al you better not–"

"Scorp can we talk about this later?" Albus whispered, interrupting Scorpius.

"I'll go." said Rose suddenly, her eyes flickering between Albus and Scorpius.

"You–You will?"

"Yeah, but it'll be a double date. Me with Henric, and you with...whoever you wanna bring along."

"Triple date. Scorpius and his date are coming too." said Albus.

"What arAAAAARGHHH–" Scorpius growled, unable to finish the question as Albus kicked him under the table.

"Alright, fine. Triple date." said Rose, standing up and gathering all her books, still eyeing the two boys carefully. "Tell Henric we'll meet at the High Street of Hogsmeade. Don't be late." She turned around and walked swiftly out of the Great Hall.

"Al, you better have a good explanation for all this." hissed Scorpius as soon as Rose's ginger hair was out of sight.

"I've got it all planned, Scorp."

"Oh, here we go..." Scorpius rolled his eyes, ready to hear yet another one of Albus' not-so-brilliant ideas.

"No, listen. We can't go together as a couple, right?" said Albus, his eyes shining with excitement. "So, I came up with this brilliant plan. What if we both had dates, but at some point they both had to go back to the castle urgently, and leave us all alone."

Albus stared back at Scorpius for a couple of seconds with excitement, but the blonde didn't say anything. He was just staring back with his mouth half open. In the end Albus had to speak up again.

"Well? Did you hear what I say?"

"Yeah, I did hear it, I just think it's a fucking stupid idea, Al." Scorpius burst out.

"What, Why?" Albus frowned.

"For starters, I don't have a date. And I doubt a girl will take me just a day before Valentine's...or even go on a date with me like...ever." Scorpius mumbled.

"Ah, well, that's where you're wrong, see?, I got you a date already." replied Albus, once again smiling broadly.

_Oh no._

"What? Who?"

"Valerie Smeitt. Hufflepuff. Fourth year." Albus announced. "I talked to her friend Denise Lange, and told her I'd go with her only if Valerie went out with you on a double date."

"I'm not dating a Hufflepuff though."

"Oh, c'mon Scorp, don't be so judgmental. She's nice!"

Scorpius just winced, but decided to give Albus' plan a shot. At least if the thing worked out he'd be able to spend the day with him. And that was bloody well worth it.

"So, how are we gonna make them go back to the castle?"

"Oh, leave that to me, I've planned this out carefully." Albus smiled as he took a sip of his pumpkin juice, which dribbled from the corner of his mouth and smeared his shirt.

"Whatever you say, Al." replied Scorpius, handing him a napkin.

* * *

><p>The three couples entered Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop in a row, Albus walking in first along with Denise, followed by Rose and Henric, who was sporting a permanent blush, and finally Scorpius and Valerie. Scorpius hadn't come up with anything witty or interesting to say during the whole trip to Hogsmeade, so he was starting to get a bit desperate by the time they crossed the doorway.<p>

Albus looked a bit out of place too, smiling at Denise once or twice, and opening his mouth a couple of times to comment on the weather or Denise's hairdo. The girl just looked at him as starstruck as every other girl in school did.

To top it all Scorpius noticed that Rose was looking at him far more often than usual. It was almost like she was expecting him to do _something_, and it made him even more nervous, if that was even possible.

Henric grabbed a chair at one of the tables and politely asked Rose to sit on it. He didn't like the idea of this triple date, but Albus promised he would have his own table and enough privacy.

They sat at separate tables, next to each other. Albus noticed he could touch Scorpius and Rose if he extended his arms to the sides, which was an appropriate distance, he thought, so he relaxed and called the waitress to order some coffees.

Half an hour later Albus thought everyone was doing pretty good. Valerie happened to be one of those people who don't seem to ever shut up, so Scorpius didn't have to do more than smile and nod every once in a while, to give the impression that he was paying attention. Albus looked at the clock every few minutes, and Rose looked at him suspiciously every time that he did.

"Psstt, Al" Rose whispered when Henric excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Albus bended his body to the right "What?"

"When are you gonna kiss her?"

"What?" Albus almost fell of his chair.

"She's asking for it, just look at her." Rose replied. Albus looked at Denise, who was drinking her coffee while looking at him with a smile.

"I...I..."

"C'mon, it's Valentine's day, and you're _single_...aren't you?" Rose said, putting an odd emphasis on the word _Single_, while eyeing him carefully.

"I...–" Albus didn't want to lie to her, but the situation was turning quite dangerous. He looked at the clock once again, now getting a bit desperate.

"What's stopping you? She's very pretty" pressed Rose, smiling encouragingly "Don't you think? Don't you like_ blondes_?"

This was seriously starting to get weird. Rose had never encouraged him to go out on dates or anything like it, and there was definitely something off.

"I–I do, but–"

Rose grinned at him, her eyes shining. "Well, kiss her then."

"I don't–, Rose..." Albus tried to say. But at that very moment the restaurant door flew open with a loud bang and Tom ran inside directly towards Albus, which made him sigh in relief.

Tom approached them quickly, with a panicked face and breathing loudly. Rose looked up at him with a condescending expression, waiting to hear what ridiculous story he had to say this time.

"Are you Denise Lange?" he asked urgently to the girl sitting with Albus.

"Y–yeah...who are you?"

"You need to go back to the castle!, you and your friend" gasped Tom, sounding like this was a matter of life or death.

"What happened?"

"Someone let Peeves enter Hufflepuff's common room! He's in your room, destroying _everything_!" He said, urgency creeping out of his voice.

Denise looked shocked and stood up in an exaggerated jump.

"I'm sorry Albus, I–I..." she stuttered.

"Just Go!" Albus said, encouraging her and Valerie to go back to the castle.

She smiled at him and ran off back to the castle with Valerie behind her. Tom waited for them to exit the coffee shop and suddenly smiled and winked at Albus. Then he walked out of the coffee shop slowly, closing the door carefully behind him, avoiding the shocked faces of everyone in the place.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Rose said suddenly, almost laughing. "Seriously, Al? Seriously?"

"What? I didn't do anything!" Albus replied, mustering his most serious expression.

"Whatever you say..." Rose rolled her eyes and turned around once Henric came back from the bathroom.

"Where are the other girls?" he asked, looking at the empty chairs.

"They had an emergency, had to go back to the castle" Albus muttered. "But I haven't finished my coffee yet" he added, looking at Scorpius with a smirk. "Scorp why don't you sit with me while we finish this coffee, I don't feel like going back to the castle yet."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, and then looked at Albus like saying_ That was your plan? Really?. _But he obliged nonetheless. He stood up and sat on the chair in front of Albus.

Rose just smiled and shrugged, but didn't say another word. Albus looked far too happy with himself to ruin his valentine's.

By nightfall the four boys went back to the castle. Albus and Scorpius had spent the whole day together, happy to retell the story about Peeves to anyone who asked about their dates. They weren't ready to come out yet, but the day couldn't have been more perfect just like that, even if they needed a terrible excuse to make it happen.

Scorpius lay on his bed looking at the tester above him late that night, smiling while he relived everything in his head. He still felt uneasy about Rose's knowing glances, and he was starting to suspect she knew something, and he just hoped he was mistaken. He closed his eyes and suddenly remember that the Quidditch match was drawing near. He didn't know if his stomach could endure all this without exploding


	16. Fly High

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: Sorry for the late update. Also, __I've been receiving a lot of support so thank you very much to everyone who reads my story! As always please let me know if you find any __misspellings._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**Fly High**

That night Scorpius dreamed he was walking down an eternal meadow of soft green grass under a golden sunset. There was a tall tree without leaves and four branches in the middle of the landscape. Albus was sitting on one of the big branches, dressed in his school uniform, looking at the horizon. He was far too high up for Scorpius' reach, so he just approached the tree slowly.

"What are you doing up there?"

Albus looked down at Scorpius with a sweet smile, like he had just noticed him.

"I think I prefer the summer." he replied. "Will I ever come down?"

"Do you want to?" asked Scorpius.

Albus shrugged. "You put me here."

"I prefer the winter" whispered Scorpius.

"I know. It suits you." said Albus, now looking again at the horizon. "You lie far too much."

Scorpius felt like crying. "If I tell you the truth, you'll leave."

"I know." replied Albus, and looked down at Scorpius, smiling again.

Scorpius woke up slowly, feeling sad and tired. He wiped some small tears from his face as he tried to remember as much of the dream as possible. It had been extremely sad in a very strange way that he couldn't quite comprehend.

The rest of his roommates were still sleeping except for Albus, whose bed was undone and empty.

Scorpius walked out of the bedroom heading towards the bathrooms. When he crosses the common room he noticed Albus was sitting on one of the big dark couches, flicking through his copy of "_Quidditch Through The Ages_" while absently combing his hair. He looked completely entranced, his green eyes moving rapidly from line to line. Scorpius chuckled fondly while watching the boy stroke his dark and messy hair deep in his own world. He tried to define what he felt for Albus, and he knew the answer was definitely Love. _I love him, _he told himself. It was real and inescapable. While looking at the boy read his book for the hundredth time he confessed to himself that he was in love. And it had always been a matter of time, he thought, because for some reason Albus had always been at the centre of his thoughts. It felt a bit like destiny, and it was ironic that it was Albus the one who kept reminding him that there was no such thing as destiny.

Scorpius was sure about his feelings, but he didn't really know if his feelings were reciprocated. Granted, Albus was reserved and literally never talked about his feelings with others, but Albus was usually reckless and impulsive, so this thing with Scorpius might just be a fling, a meaningless teenage crush, likely to disappear when the novelty wears off.

It made Scorpius break inside, dreading the day when Albus would look at him with his honest eyes and tell him he's not interested anymore, leaving Scorpius lost again. Lost and broken. Because he's so used to being with Albus. So used to his smiles, and the way he shatters the routine with his ideas every day, and his eyes...those bright green eyes that could pierce into his soul, calm and soothing. And he doesn't know how he could survive if Albus left him. Albus is the only thing preventing him from drowning, and he knows that it's not healthy to cling on someone else so desperately, but he can't help it, because Albus is too perfect and without him Scorpius would be back in his dark tunnel of solitude.

That's why he doesn't say "I love you". Because he knows saying it makes it real; saying those words at the wrong time could have devastating consequences, and it's a risk he's not willing to take. He knows he's not like Albus, who's willing to risk it all, who can step into the abyss of uncertainty, because he knows the reward is worth the shot. But Scorpius is not ready to be like that. Not yet at least.

Just then Albus noticed his presence and turned his head quickly to look at him.

"Scorp! I didn't see you there..." He narrowed his eyes jokingly. "Were you spying on me?"

"You do know that there are other books in the world apart from that one, right?" Scorpius scoffed, leaning on the pillar next to him.

"This, my friend, is the only book I need". Albus raised the book, smiling back.

"How many times have you read it? 100? 200? Or is it that you just read incredibly slow?"

Albus pulled a face. "Very funny. It's just that it never gets old! You should read it."

Scorpius smiled, unable to maintain his _bad guy_ act for long with Albus. "How come you're up so early?"

Albus shrugged. "No idea, my sleeping habits have been completely fucked up ever since the treatment. Now go shower quickly so we can go have some breakfast, I'm starving!"

Scorpius nodded and walked to the showers while thinking _Yep, I definitely love him._

* * *

><p>For the next couple of months Albus pushed Scorpius to his absolute limit on Quidditch. They spent every free period mounted on their broomstick and even stayed after sundown on some occasions when Albus felt particularly inspired.<p>

As days grew warmer Scorpius noticed that Albus began acting more restless and jumpy than usual. He would grab his broomstick and run off to the pitch at random times, or suddenly explode on someone about how important winning the Quidditch cup was; and by the end of April he had become a walking bag of loose nerves, with reactions as extreme as being completely silent for a whole day and flip out on everyone the next. Scorpius didn't know how to talk to him anymore because he had no idea what was going on inside his head at any given time. Albus looked lost in thought most of the time and more than once Scorpius would have to snap him out of it so he could at least write something on his tests.

"Stop being so bloody dramatic, Al. It's just a Quidditch game." said Rose the last friday of April as the two boys sat next to her at the Ravenclaw table, Albus looking pale and tired. "Besides, the game is still a month away."

"But what if we lose, Rose? I mean...What if we lose, like _actually_ lose the game..."

Rose closed the Daily Prophet she was holding to spare Albus a stern glance. "Al, It's obvious that you'll win. You always do. Besides, you have Malfoy. Last month you wouldn't stop talking about what a great seeker he was. So stop fretting, I know you'll win."

"Thanks Weasley." said Scorpius, feeling the familiar knot in his stomach that appeared every time someone mentioned the fact that he was actually part of the team.

He could understand what Albus was going through because he could feel it too. The sudden panic attacks; the crippling anxiety climbing up his body every time someone would bring up the subject; or even the constant nightmares where the snitch kept flying farther and farther away from his reach. Scorpius had never felt so pressured in his whole life. He knew it was all because of Albus, because if the boy hadn't placed so much trust in him he certainly wouldn't give two damns about the match, even if he was playing. Hell, he wouldn't care even if he was the bloody captain. He had never cared about Quidditch games, because it didn't have any relevance to anything. But now there was Albus, who trusted him, and who deeply cared (for reasons beyond Scorpius' comprehension) about Quidditch and the game results. And Scorpius definitely cared about Albus, more than anything; more than anyone. And just the pressure of not letting Albus down was driving him mental.

"I just wish we had more time to practice..." Albus whispered, sighing and letting his head drop a bit.

"Al, I already told you, you have a whole month left before the match!" Rose protested.

"It's not enough!" Albus replied, louder than he meant to. "Sorry, but please let's just drop it, alright? just talking about it makes me nervous." He ate a toast slowly, while neither of them said another word. Which started to make Scorpius a bit anxious.

"Al, you'll win the match." said Rose after a couple of minutes of absolute silence, looking directly at him.

"Oh for fucks sake Rosie!" Albus burst out.

"What?, I can't help it!" said Rose. "You're making _me_ nervous, looking all pale and jumpy."

Albus grunted, but didn't answer, so Rose just sighed.

"Well, before I forget, Amanda wanted me to ask you if you'd like to go on a date with her..."

"Tell her I don't" said Albus immediately, without even looking at her.

"Vera wants to know if you'd like to meet her at–"

"Tell her I don't."

"And Emily wants–"

"I don't want to know about Emily, Rose!"

"And Luvia said that–"

"No, Rose! No, No, tell them all to fuck off, I'm already–" he stopped himself just a second before saying something he shouldn't. But Rose didn't question him.

"Will you even listen? Luvia said don't worry about the article, she already sorted it out."

"What article?" asked Albus, immediately turning his head to look at the Daily Prophet under Rose's hands.

"You didn't read the newspaper today?" asked Rose, grabbing the Daily Prophet and looking for a certain page. "Here."

Albus and Scorpius both bended over the newspaper to read a short column on the edge of the page.

"**POTTER BOYS ON FIENDFYRE" **

"_Gossips at Hogwarts are on Fiendfyre this year –Rita Skeeter writes. Our very special, 100% British teen celebs (as if you didn't know who're we talking about!) are sure enjoying their teenage years. __16-year-old James Potter was allegedly seen drunk and partying at a Hogsmeade nightclub last weekend..."_

"That I believe" commented Scorpius.

"_...while 15-year-old Albus Potter, who's currently at the lead for sexiest teenage wizard of the year, (_Scorpius raised his eyebrows looking at Albus. The boy just shrugged and continued reading_.) ...has been thoroughly enjoying his single teen life, having been caught in some reproachable situations. Sources say he was seen snogging Vera Zabini, a gorgeous Slytherin girl. Nothing wrong with that, right? But would you believe me if I told you that the girl isn't single? Well, you better do, because sources say she's had a boyfriend for the last two years! And we understand how hard it must be to say no to the emerald-eyed Potter boy, but girl, get it together! Our thoughts go out to the poor boyfriend..."_

Albus stopped reading with his mouth half open, staring at Scorpius and then at Rose.

"Don't worry, I told you she said she sorted it out. Everyone knows the entertainment section is just rubbish anyway." she said, shrugging.

It pissed Albus off beyond measure every time he read things like that on the newspaper, and it made him want to tell everyone about him and Scorpius so they could cut the crap, but at the same time not want anyone to know, ever.

He just didn't know what to do.

* * *

><p>The month passed in a blink of an eye, just like Albus had predicted, and Scorpius was left wondering where the days had gone. As the few days left for the match passed he noticed there was now a permanent void in the pit of his stomach. He constantly wanted to throw up, and then drown in his own vomit.<p>

There wasn't any time left to practice. There wasn't anything left to do. The match was going to happen, and soon. It was days away; hours away. Inescapable, inevitable, non-reschedulable. Scorpius discovered that he had never really known what being nervous felt like, not until now. Nervous to the point of trembles and panic attacks.

The day before the match he couldn't concentrate at all. And Albus looked exactly the same. He crashed the tip of his quill against the desk repeatedly, rhythmically, looking at the window with a pale face and eyes lost. His eyes then traveled to Scorpius, who stared back, trying to look calm. Albus smiled at him, and Scorpius knew he must be looking like absolute shit for Albus to smile at him like that, encouragingly and calming. He tried to smile back, but he felt sick and cold and sweaty. And he was going to faint. He was definitely going to faint.

Then the sky went black. Slowly, but way too fast. Scorpius looked outside of the window at the night sky. How was he supposed to sleep like this? Was he even supposed to sleep at all? He needed some advice.

The lights went out, everyone was in bed already, and _Oh Merlin this is happening. _Scorpius looked to the side, to Albus' bed. He saw the dark haired boy laying on his bed with his eyes open.

"Are we actually supposed to sleep?" he asked with a lump in his throat.

"We have to try" Albus shrugged, and then looked at him. "Try to get some rest."

Scorpius laid back, and stayed just like that, staring at the tester above him. His heart hammering against his ribcage and his throat dry. He closed his eyes.

_Impossible._

* * *

><p>"Scorp?" Albus whispered a couple of hours later. "'You still awake?"<p>

"I could throw up right now." replied Scorpius. He had tried, he had honestly tried very hard. But he gave up, he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

"Come," whispered Albus. "Get up."

Scorpius looked at him, saw Albus' silhouette getting up from his bed with a wand in his hand. He sat up on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just get up, I need to get some fresh air, are you coming or not?" whispered Albus.

Scorpius sighed, but soon enough he was walking behind Albus out of the castle. The night was warm and clear, with thousands of stars shining above them. Scorpius followed Albus through the grounds until he realized they were heading towards the Quidditch pitch.

Once they got there, Albus sat on one of the benches and signaled Scorpius to sit with him. Scorpius obliged, sitting very close together, their bodies touching. Albus sighed, looking at the horizon for a long time. After a minute or two, he finally spoke.

"I've never been this stressed about anything before in my life..." he whispered.

"Me neither" agreed Scorpius, wanting to calm Albus down. "We could...you know, run away..." he said, and Albus chuckled, looking at him fondly.

"Yeah, to the second star to the right and straight till dawn?" he asked.

Scorpius looked puzzled. He raised his eyesbrows in a questioning expression.

"It's Peter Pan!" said Albus, baffled. "Don't tell me you've never heard of it!"

"Well, to be perfectly honest I haven't, no." said Scorpius.

"Well...it's a muggle story after all. It was my dad's favourite story when he was a kid. Because he lived a muggle life before coming to Hog-"

"I know Al, everybody knows the story of Harry Potter" Scorpius said, because, honestly, there were at least twenty biographies about the Boy Who Lived.

"Well...He used to tell me about Peter Pan before I went to bed when I was little."

"So...what does the star thing mean?" Scorpius asked, and suddenly Albus looked sadder, thoughtful and serious.

"The second star to the right, that's where Neverland is." he said, pointing at the pale, turquoise blue star shining over the horizon. "You fly to the second star to the right, and straight till dawn, and you'll reach Never-Neverland..." Albus stood silent for a while. "The land where everything is happiness. You never grow up, you can be a kid forever. Fight pirates, and..." He trailed off.

"And how do we get there" Scorpius asked then, in nothing more than a whisper, looking straight at the turquoise blue star. It was the brightest of them all.

Albus shrugged. "Using our brooms, I suppose" he smiled, still looking at the horizon.

"Would you really do it?" Scorpius asked.

"What?"

"Escape. To Neverland, if you could..."

Albus stared at Scorpius for a while. Unsure if he should answer or not, because this was one of his deepest, most sincere thoughts. "I...I used to dream about going there, but..." then he abruptly stopped. "Forget it, it's silly."

"C'mon, you can tell me..." Scorpius said. "Remember? You can tell me." he said, searching Albus' hand with his own, interlacing their fingers together. Albus pressed tight and sighed.

"I...I sometimes feel like...I feel like I'll always be a shadow. I mean I love my dad, I really do love both my parents really much. But sometimes I just feel like...there's nothing I could do to...you know, be special. Not just...the son of Harry Potter. It must sound really dumb..." Albus finished.

"It doesn't" said Scorpius immediately. Albus looked at him for a long time. And Scorpius felt like they had never been this close. Not physically, but in a much deeper way.

"You know, I also sometimes feel that way." said Scorpius. "Not quite like you, because I don't really have a famous father. But, in some ways I felt like my life wasn't really mine. I would marry someone I don't know, And I would live in the Malfoy Manor, even if I hate that place. And I'd have to produce an heir. Just like my father did, and like his father before him. Life didn't really have much meaning...I mean, there was nothing to expect, I was never in control..." Scorpius paused for a minute, looking at Albus. "But then...I found you, Al. And it must sound crazy but...you showed me that maybe not everything is lost after all." he smiled. "You and your mental ideas. And I'd run away, with you. Without a second thought."

Albus stared at him in silence. "I think we should..."

Scorpius chuckled. "Are you serious?"

"But after tomorrow's match" clarified Albus, now smiling.

Scorpius laughed and squeezed their hands together.

"You know, It may seem pointless and silly to you, and to everyone else, actually. But winning the house cup would really mean a lot to me. Winning the tickets...I know it's silly but, I want to know how it feels to really earn something. Not receiving it because I'm a Potter...but because– Because I really deserve it."

Scorpius suddenly felt all the anxiety leave his body. "We will win tomorrow, Al. Even if it's the last thing I do"

"Thanks Scorp. It really means a lot." Albus said, and rested his head on Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius could smell him so close. And it was perfect, just the two of them under that glimmering star full of promises of running away to a place where nobody knew their names, where they could be free together, far from newspaper gossips and famous names and the responsibilities that came with them.

In that moment, for the third time Scorpius wanted to say _I love you_. And this time he opened his mouth, but he didn't say it. This was too perfect, and he wouldn't risk ruining it. And before he knew it Albus was kissing him, warm and tender. And he closed his eyes and swore that they would win this, because Albus deserved it. He deserved everything in the world, and more.

They walked together back to the castle, and swiftly stepped back to the common room and into their beds. This time Scorpius' heart felt at peace, big and calm. He closed his eyes and this time he felt himself quickly slipping away into unconsciousness, and he embraced it.


	17. The Quidditch Final

_Disclaimer: Everything related to Harry Potter is property of J.K Rowling, including the characters and places. I do not own anything. Everything presented here is just for fun!_

_A/N: It feels good to update again. If you find any misspelling or any grammatical error please do tell me. Thank you for reading!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

**The Quidditch Final**

The ground trembled and vibrated under Scorpius' feet, it definitely wasn't only his legs.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down while hearing the unyielding buzzing of cheers and claps. The pitch looked bigger than ever, now packed with students dressed in all colours around him, watching him stand in the middle next to Albus.

_Breathe._

He felt like fainting, his heart beating faster than ever, almost uncontrollably under his ribcage.

_Breathe._

"Mount your brooms." He barely registered the instructions, throwing one leg over his broomstick almost automatically. His hands were sweating and his throat was dry.

"You okay?" Albus looked at him worriedly, resting one hand over his shoulder.

"Y–Yeah..." he whispered, his voice lost somewhere along the way. His body was tense, and he flinched a bit at the contact. Albus looked completely focused and cool. Scorpius reasoned that since Albus had done this for such a long time he's used to it and knows how to focus when he has too. But Scorpius just couldn't do it.

"You'll be alright, Scorp." Albus smiled and squeezed his shoulder before letting go.

Scorpius didn't say anything. He just gulped and grabbed his broomstick more firmly with his trembling hands. He looked around and saw hundreds of little faces staring down at him, screaming and jumping. One of those faces was his father, who had come to see his son's first game, and Scorpius felt far from relieved. It was actually making him more anxious. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus while attempting to steady his broomstick with his sweating hands. _Please Scorp, don't fall, _he pleaded silently.

"On my count!"

"3..."

"Good luck" whispered Albus, grabbing his own broomstick with fierce determination in his eyes.

"2..."

_Oh no..._

"1..."

_Please..._

The whistle pierced the sky and Scorpius kicked the ground along with his team and they all flew up to their positions. There they stood still, floating in midair, waiting for the balls to be released. Scorpius was now higher than the audience, looking down at them. He took another deep breath, going over the strategy one last time. He had to be very careful with the scores because Hufflepuff had a significant score advantage, so catching the snitch at the wrong time could mean losing the whole Quidditch Cup. He just had to wait for the signal and get on with it. _Not that hard, right?_

Scorpius looked down at Madame Hooch holding the Quaffle, standing still in the middle of the pitch. Everyone was suddenly silent watching expectantly, waiting for the final game to begin. Scorpius breathed. Madame Hooch threw the ball in the air suddenly everything became a blur.

Albus shot through the sky and captured the Quaffle in a perfect maneuver, dodging the bludger thrown immediately at him. Scorpius circled the pitch following Hufflepuff's seeker, making sure he didn't catch the snitch, but to his relief it was nowhere in sight yet. It felt pretty much like a dream, which he thought wasn't that bad. The previous anxiety was replaced by a manageable dream-like adrenaline. In the back of his mind he could feel Albus, knowing that he was the sole thing that fueled his determination.

"–And Potter scores! 10 points to Slytherin!" he heard the majority of the crowd cheering, with a couple of boos here and there.

The match went on for a bit over 50 minutes minutes, amidst points and nasty falls. The score so far was 80-40 with Hufflepuff in the lead. Surprisingly Hufflepuff was giving one hell of a spectacle this time. The Slytherins in the crowd were biting their nails, waiting for Albus to save the day.

"–And Hufflepuff Chaser Stebbins is in possession of the Quaffle again. He's doing a reverse pass to– No, he's trying to score it himself, but Potter is right behind and approaching quickly, aaand–" Scorpius held his breath. "–Yes, Potter is in possession and flying in the opposite direction at full speed, flying only like he knows–"

"C'mon Al..." whispered Scorpius from up high, while waiting for his cue to go after the snitch.

"–He flies, he flies, he dodges Willies and... POTTER SCORES!" and the score was 80-50 now.

"Malfoy, Now!" yelled Lance from the other end of the pitch with clear notes of panic to his voice. Scorpius positioned himself flat against the broom handle and shot up to the sky at full speed, causing an eruption of cheers among the audience. He couldn't hear the commentators anymore due to the speed. He knew they were talking about him, but this wasn't the time to worry about that, he had to focus. He inspected the pitch carefully from above, trying to find the small golden ball that had been eluding him since the beginning of the game. Soon enough he saw the bright sun reflected on a tiny golden sphere near Hufflepuff's side of the pitch, and he immediately zoomed off after it, with Hufflepuff's Seeker following him close behind. The Snitch quickly scooted upwards and to the middle of the pitch, forcing Scorpius to make a violent turn and making the crowd go wild. The other Seeker was now flying next to Scorpius, fast and blurry. Scorpius stretched his hand, inches separating his fingers from the snitch. He could see the Hufflepuff boy's hand next to his, attempting to grasp the snitch in his own hands. Scorpius wondered for half a second if this was worth it, the effort and the nerves and the anxiety; why was he going though this frantic struggle. And then, at that very moment something in his mind clicked and everything made sense. It DID matter, it mattered the whole world. In just a fraction of a second he recalled everything that had happened in the last year. He remembered how hollow and empty he felt when he entered the school that first day. How sad and lonely and lost. And at the end of the year he was a completely different person. It did matter to win because his future mattered now. He wanted the tickets, he _wanted_ to go to that stupid Quidditch match with Albus, stay by his side, and enjoy every single minute with him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life next to Albus. He wanted to live. He wanted a life with him, to wake up next to him every morning, and have Albus take him on new adventures, or maybe just lay in bed talking about anything. He realized that _that_ was what had been missing in his life all long. That reason to live, that reason to get out of bed every morning. The hollow space in his heart was now filled with the brightest emerald-green light, and it felt like everything had finally fallen into place. Everything fitted, and he was where he was supposed to be.

Just then, he felt something emerge from deep inside his heart. It was some kind of energy, and it felt a lot like magic, even though he didn't have his wand with him. The energy pushed him forward, closing the distance between his hand and the Snitch. He closed his fingers around the tiny golden ball and as he did he heard the whistle pierce the sky. He smiled and the whole stadium erupted in cheers and applauses.

"Malfoy catches the Snitch, Slytherin Wins!" announced the commentator, and Scorpius couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

The cheers and applauses grew louder and he saw everyone start flying back to the ground. His whole body was trembling, but his hand was tight around the snitch. He flew back to the ground, seeing everyone around him clapping and smiling at him, and when he touched the ground he saw Albus, running from the other side of the pitch towards him, just him, only to him.

"You did it, Scorp!" he shouted, smiling with that smile that Scorpius loved, his eyes shining and his hair ruffled by the wind. He almost jumped on Scorpius, wrapping him in a tight hug and falling to the ground with him, Scorpius under Albus, in a tight embrace in the middle of the pitch.

"I knew you would catch it. You were fantastic!" Albus said, his breath tickling Scorpius' ear, and Scorpius wanted to cry, he really did want to cry of joy. He wanted to tell Albus everything, he needed to tell Albus everything, tell him he was the sole reason he was living; he wanted to tell Albus he loved him so much he could explode with the pure strength of his feelings. And he had feared that Albus rejected him before, but not anymore. He was ready to take the step into the unknown, _the abyss of uncertainty, _because this needed to be said, he needed to say it, and he needed Albus to know it, no matter what the consequences were. He took a deep breath under Albus, held tight and spoke.

"I love you, Albus." Scorpius said, and it felt right. His whole world suddenly stood still, and he was more conscious than ever of Albus' weight over him, waiting for him to say something, anything. Albus didn't speak for a couple of seconds that felt like minutes to Scorpius, until finally, finally, Scorpius felt Albus hug him more tightly.

"I love you too, Scorpius." he whispered, smiling and looking at him with those piercing emerald-green eyes.

Scorpius wanted to scream, cry, and laugh all at once. He felt a single tear falling from his eye, sliding through his cheek. The feeling was overwhelming, and his eyes were trapped in Albus'. They were staring at each other, the strength and meaning of the words they just shared separating them from everyone around. It was a world of their own.

They started drawing closer, their lips nearer as they both closed their eyes, ready for their lips to touch.

Suddenly Albus felt a strong arm grab him by his back and pull him up, almost throwing him to the side.

"Aaaaalright, that's enough!" said Tom between nervous laughs. "'The fuck are you doing, Al." he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, lips barely moving while he smiled at everyone around them. Albus immediately snapped back to reality, realizing he had almost kissed Scorpius in front of the entire school. This realization made him open his eyes wide and stand frozen in his spot, but Tom quickly took control of the situation.

"Hey Al, give the boy some air, we all wanna congratulate Malfoy too, right?" Tom said, smiling at the rest of the team, and immediately everyone started laughing and running towards Scorpius again, who had barely managed to get up from the ground before the rest of the team launched at him, almost making him stumble back to the grass.

Scorpius felt light and happy. He felt genuinely happy, and wondered if he had ever felt like this. The rest of the team was hugging and congratulating him, and even the Hufflepuff team approached too, shaking his hand and admiring his skill, ignoring the mocks a sneers of the Slytherins around them. Albus was right beside him, with one arm on his shoulder and the other waving at the audience.

Madame Hooch crossed the field very quickly, carrying a giant golden cup, with the symbol of Hogwarts carved on it. A wave of pride washed over him as Madame Hooch handed the Cup to Lance Feder and the pitch erupted in another massive fit of applauses. Lance held it up in the air for a couple of seconds and suddenly Scorpius felt someone grab him from the back and lift him up in the air, and Albus was squatting in front of him, and he put his legs on Albus' shoulders, and Lance was handing him the cup, and suddenly it was him holding the cup up high, sitting on Albus' shoulders while the whole school applauded and cheered. And he knew that all this was thanks to Albus, so he looked down and saw that Albus was looking at him too, and they both smiled.

* * *

><p>The party at Slytherin's common room had never been this big. Or at least Scorpius had never been on such a massive party before. The music was playing louder than ever, and he could even see some girls from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor in the party too. He stumbled upon Rose Weasley at one point, who congratulated him with a firm handshake. She even stood quite still for a couple of seconds looking at him and smiling, until Scorpius had to snap her out of it by asking her if there was something wrong.<p>

"Oh..No...Nothing, I just..." she mumbled, and then her smile grew wider than ever. "You're a nice guy, Malfoy. I'm glad." she finished, walking away and leaving Scorpius really confused.

He stayed next to Albus most of the evening, sitting on one of the big sofas and drinking Butterbeer while people walked over to them to congratulate them, or mostly Albus – perhaps because nobody knew Scorpius very well– on their victory. But what he really wanted was to have some time alone with Albus, because he felt like there were many thing they needed to talk about. He tried to brush his fingers against Albus' whenever he had the chance, or grab his attention by looking at him as much as he could.

Scorpius noticed that Albus was worried about something, because he was constantly looking around, as if searching for someone who wasn't there while combing his head repeatedly. He shifted uncomfortably on his seat and barely even smiled when people walked over to congratulate him.

"What's wrong?" Asked Scorpius finally in a whisper, after noticing that Albus was staring at someone on the other side of the room.

"Huh?" Albus snapped back, turning his head around, looking like he had just noticed Scorpius sitting next to him. "N–Nothing, Scorp...I just–" he stopped dead when he saw Thomas entering the Common Room, with a smile on his face. Albus stood up and almost ran towards him, dodging the people in between.

The music was very loud so Scorpius couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he saw Albus say something to Thomas, and Thomas say something back, and then Albus was smiling like crazy, and suddenly he threw himself over Thomas, wrapping him in a tight hug that made Scorpius' heart freeze and his stomach tighten. Scorpius felt confused and angry; a kind of anger unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He stood up immediately, making the glass of butterbeer fall on the sofa, and started walking hastily towards both boys, unsure of what he was going to do, but determined to grab Albus' full attention.

At that very moment Albus released Thomas, and walk towards Scorpius, meeting him halfway but without saying a word. He took Scorpius' hand and wrapped their fingers together, in the middle of the room full of people, and started walking towards the their dormitories.

"Al what the fuck are you doing?" Scorpius said, unable to understand what he was feeling anymore. He was angry and happy and scared at the same time, and everything was happening really fast, and he was kinda drunk which obviously didn't help a lot.

"I'm taking you to our bedroom, Scorp." Albus replied, looking back at Scorpius and grinning knowingly. It took Scorpius a couple of seconds to understand what he meant.

"Are you crazy?" he said as soon as he realized what Albus meant. "The Common Room is swarming with people, we can't–"

"Don't worry, I've got it all covered" said Albus, still smiling, walking faster than before. "Tom has been helping me, we won't be bothered." Scorpius groaned, but felt much easier now that he knew why Albus had been like that, and what the hug had been.

"You know my schemes with Tom always work." said Albus triumphantly, walking down the stairs, heading for their room. Scorpius snorted at that, but held Albus' hand tighter than ever.

"Are you ready?" asked Albus.

"I'm ready" Whispered Scorpius, smiling as they entered their bedroom and closed the door behind them.


End file.
